


Only Us

by abbyli



Series: little giant [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Baby Fic, Background Sam/Sharon, But Darcy Loves Him Anyway, Darcy is Tony's Sister, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Friendship and Love, Hope, Ignoring HUGE chunks of Marvel canon, Jewish Darcy and Jane, Kid Fic, Original Female Characters - Freeform, Pietro Lives, Resolved Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Steve's a Butthead, Unresolved Sexual Tension, background clint/natasha - Freeform, deaf!Clint, falling back in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-02-10 05:21:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 84,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12904971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbyli/pseuds/abbyli
Summary: While Darcy's living with Jane in Portland, Maine, she meets Captain America. Only she has no idea he's Captain America. He's Steve Rogers, running and hiding from tragic circumstances that he just cannot deal with.Darcy never intended to fall in love with him. She also never intended on having him disappear on her.And now she's raising his daughter alone.





	1. Maine

.

.

Jane always told her she never paid attention to where she was going.

 _“One of these days you’re going to just walk right into the love of your life and not even realize it.”_  

“ _Gee Jane, I never took you for a romantic.”_

Her friend had scowled and gone back to her science while Darcy cleaned up the shards of broken vase that she had accidentally knocked over moments before, her face having been engrossed in her iPod.

Jane was right. Jane was always right.

Darcy’s not looking where she was going _again,_ when she walks right into Captain freaking America on the streets of Portland, Maine. Only then she has no idea he’s the missing captain and she’s more concerned about the boiling hot coffee she had just dumped down his front.

“Ahhhh!”

“Shit!”

She tosses the now empty cup aside and reaches into her bag, pawing around for the wad of McDonald’s napkins she had stuffed in there this morning from her egg mcmuffin. “I am so sorry!”

Handsome McHandsome gently waves her flapping hands away, wiping at his sopping shirt. “It’s okay. Just an accident.”

She ignores his resistance, still trying to blot at his shirt and jacket. “Janey was right, I never look where I’m going. She’s gonna kill me and then laugh about it since I maimed you and we’re supposed to be here for a while and I don’t wanna go to jail for coffee maiming so –“

Beardy Hot Stuff grabs her hand, cutting off her rambling. “ _Ma’am,_ I’m just fine. No harm done.”

It was the ‘ma’am’ that really should have tipped her off. Only Steve Rogers would call her ma’am.

“I’ll buy you a new shirt at least?” she offers earnestly.

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Got it at Wal-Mart for five bucks. I bet your coffee cost more than that.”

Somehow out of that very embarrassing experience, Darcy winds up with a coffee date that following afternoon.  

-;

“What’s his name?” Jane asked, not looking up from the markerboard in front of her. Darcy watched as she continued to scratch down more equations, none of them making a lick of sense to her.

“Steve Roberts.”

Oh how stupid she was. Stupid, young, and innocent.

Jane’s laughing when Darcy’s at the door. When she looks back, she sees a real smile on her friend’s face. Something so rare for her in the past months since she and Thor had broken up for good. “You remember when I said you would walk right into the love of your life without even knowing it?”

Well that’s a bit eerie, even for her she realizes. Darcy shakes that thought away and leaves the lab to track down some food to coax into her scientist’s mouth. 

-;

Steve’s waiting for her when she arrives at the coffee shop around two that next afternoon, a strawberry cruller and coffee in front of him. “I hope you don’t mind that ordered for myself.”

She smiles, shaking her head. “Not at all.” The waitress appeared for her order and Darcy asked for a vanilla coffee, chuckling when she sees Steve wrinkle his nose. “Don’t tell me, you’re one of those that drinks their coffee black like liquid iron?” She laughs when he nods, a smile playing on his lips.

To her surprise the conversation flows easy. She had made a bet with herself that if they had more than two awkward silences then she would make up a phony excuse and flee but that never happened. They talked about _everything._ About their lives growing up, colleges they went too, places they lived. She learned he grew up in Brooklyn and lost his parents before he was twenty five. He found out that she lived in Canada her whole life until getting into Culver and she spoke French.

She felt like she had known him for years.

The conversation keeps on longer than they both intend and it’s only when the waitress returns to kick them out so she can close the place down.

They exchange phone numbers and promise to meet again.

And again, and again, and again.

-;

“You bought...an art store?”

Steve waggles his eyebrows at her and she fights back a grin. “Is it too crazy?”

Darcy shakes her head. “No, not at all. If that’s what makes you happy. But, uh, how much did you have to pay for it? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“The owner was looking for a simple buyout and he asked for fifty grand. I gave him sixty and the old guy nearly had a heart attack.”

Darcy laughs. “I’m sure he liked that.”

“Do you want to see it?”

After Darcy agrees they head over in Steve’s jeep. The building is small but right on the main boardwalk in the city. A passerby would have to be blind or oblivious to miss it. “I was thinking about ripping the back storeroom out and doing classes in the back.”

Darcy looked around the inside of the shop, almost beaming. After everything Steve had told her, she could see he was going to do great with this little place. “I think that sound fantastic.” When she looks around Steve’s grinning at her. “What?”

“You think?” he asks her.

“I do.”

And she’s right. Within the month whenever she stops by the shop after hours at the lab, she sees quite a few students tumbling out the doors, albeit most of them being young females, giggling away as they carried large sketch pads tucked underneath their arms.

“Hey!” Steve walks around the edge of the counter when she enters the shop and wraps her in a hug. “What are you doing here?”

“My boss lady released me early from my minion work so I thought you’d like to grab some dinner,” she offers, her voice not as chirpy as she wished it was. What was this within her? This strange feeling...it couldn’t be...jealousy?

_Nah._

Right?

Before she can dwell on it any longer, Steve’s voice breaks her thoughts. “That sounds great, let me get my coat.”

A few minutes later they are walking side by side down the cobblestone street of the city. Lights are rising in the sky, giving the city a soft comfortable look and it suddenly occurs to Darcy that she could spend the rest of her life right here.

She’s happy. She’s at peace.

It also helps she’s got a hot hunk of wow on her arm.

“What are you thinking about?”

Steve startles at her sudden question, giving a quick shake of the head. “It’s nothing really.”

Darcy nods in understanding. “I’ve got an ear if you ever wanna turn it into something.”

The smile he gives her really shouldn’t be making her weak in the knees but it does. Luckily they get to the restaurant then and Steve wraps an arm around her shoulders as he opens the door, guiding her inside.

-;

She introduces him to Jane after the sixth month. Jane had finally surfaced from a three week bender in the science world and was getting ready to head off for a lecture she had been invited too in London to speak alongside Tony Stark. She had about two days left before her plane out of the city and that was when Darcy pounced.

“It will have to be something simple for dinner, like sandwiches and poptarts or something,” Jane said, looking haphazardly into the fridge. “And he can only be here for an hour, I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the trip.”

Darcy laughed softly. “It never ends with you, does it Janey?”

Her best friend finally looked her way, a small smile playing on her lips. “Eventually it will. I’m so close to a breakthrough.”

Darcy was sure Jane was right. The woman was fucking brilliant.

She kicks Jane out the door to do the grocery shopping so she can clean the apartment the afternoon before the meeting. She’s almost hanging upside down from the ceiling as she attempts to scrub a layer of grease off the top of the cabinet by the stove when Jane walks back through the door, grumbling under her breath as she totes four packed bags of groceries.

“Stupid men, stupid idiots, stupid stupid stupid –“

Darcy hops down from the counter, still carrying the bottle of grease-away in her hand. “What’s the matter?”

“Those dumb men at the deli _dared_ to tell me that –“ Darcy’s attention immediately scattered as Jane began yelling a bunch of science terms that she still didn’t understand. How in the world she got into a science fight in Portland, Maine escaped her.

Darcy goes to shower after finishing up the cabinets and the doorbell rings just as she’s getting out. There’s a clatter from the kitchen, Jane probably dropping something, and then the squeaky door swinging open.

A few minutes later she walks out of the bathroom with a towel slung around her shoulders to see Steve standing there, holding a bottle of wine that Jane is currently trying to steal. “Gimmee!”

Laughing, Darcy makes for her room. “I’ll be right out, guys!”

The evening is spent in comfort. There’s no other word for it.

“All right, I got frozen french fries from the grocery store, I thought we could do those up in the toaster oven. I also picked out kosher for Darcy and me, and I took a chance and just got ham and turkey for you. Is that okay?”

Steve blinks in surprise, and Darcy’s heart skips a beat. She wonders when the last time was that this man got a simple kind gesture with nothing expected in return.

“That’s great. Thank you.”

Darcy watches as Steve prepares a sandwich that is about four inches thick, eyebrows rising up her forehead as she wonders how he is going to fit that in his mouth. She wonders what else that mouth can do and – stop it Darcy!

The toaster oven dings and she reaches for the fries, burning her fingers on purpose to have something else to focus on rather than her increasing deep attraction for Handsome McBeardy.

Jane grills Steve like a police detective. He calmly answers each of her questions, sliding in a few jokes here in and there to get her to laugh and it works. The wine is consumed and before the night is over, Jane shoots Darcy a thumbs up. Seal of approval from the boss lady is all she needs.

-;

“Have you ever thought about it?”

“Thought about what?”

“Just...staying?” Darcy searches for a better way to put what she’s trying to say. She’s not the philosophical type and she is still a little tipsy. “Staying in this life and living it? Damn it why can’t I get these words out?”

Steve reaches across the table and plucks her now empty wine glass away, ignoring her squawking protests. After the bottle he had brought had been drunk and all the food consumed, Jane had retired to her room, patting Steve on his broad chest as she stumbled away. “Nice, nice.” She gave his man-boob an extra squeeze. “Sarcy, you weren’t kidding. Real nice. G’night Deve.” And then she was gone.

“Try again.”

Darcy sighed, leaning back on the sofa to put her feet up on the coffee table. She wiggled her polished toes in Steve’s face and he batted them away. “Being here. Not going back to whatever life you lived before. Just...being happy. Aren’t you happy?”

The look that Steve fixes her with holds so many meanings that she cannot read in her inebriated state. “Very happy.”

“Then...stay?” Her voice is downright pathetic and she cannot try anything else as Steve gets up from the chair he occupies and walks around the table to pull her to her feet. “What --?”

“Bedtime.”

She whines and cries but it all falls on deaf ears as Steve steers her down the hallway to her bedroom. She falls face first on her bed with a sudden giggle and he turns her head to the side, most likely so she doesn’t puke in her pillows later.

Her fingers catch his wrist when he tries to leave. “You didn’t answer my question.”

She feels his lips press to the crown of her head, his voice barely a whisper. “Yeah. I’ll stay.”

She tumbles into sleep.

-;

Steve becomes a fixture in her home. Almost permanent, like a nice lamp.

“I am not a lamp!”

Darcy cackles, ducking away from his teasing swat. “A very pretty lamp,” she says with another laugh and Steve rolls his eyes.

Jane comes home from her lectures a couple days late and they both pick her up at the airport. She chatters away on the drive back to the apartment, regaling them with tales of her science exploits.

“How was Stark?” Steve asks. Darcy doesn’t notice the way his shoulders tighten as the name leaves his lips.

“He was loud,” Jane says. “And chatty. Talked over me a lot in our group lecture. I had to step on his foot to get him to shut up.”

Darcy throws her head back and laughs, a loud and sudden sound that makes both Jane and Steve look at her.

“What was weird though is that I felt like I was with Darcy through that. (“ _Hey!”)_ No I don’t mean that as an insult. He just reminded me a lot of you.” You even have the same chin.”

Darcy raises a brow but doesn’t say anything to that. Many people look alike.

If she only knew then.

-;

She kisses Steve on a cold December night.

It’s sudden and surprising to them both. She had picked him up after he closed the shop for Christmas and they headed down the street to grab coffee before going home. “Are you going anywhere for Christmas?”

Steve shakes his head. “Got nowhere to go.”

A flame of sympathy slides through her chest. “You know...Jane’s going to her aunt Regina’s and I’m heading to Montreal to be with my mom but we’re having a little Christmas thing for ourselves the night before. You are welcome to join.”

Despite the handful of dates they had had, Steve had been nothing more than a friend to Darcy. And that was something she appreciated and she suspected he felt the same way. They had been standing on the brink of _what if_ for nearly a year and she needed to know right damn now if there was anything more. She wasn’t the type to let friendships get awkward when romance didn’t work out and she wasn’t about to now but damn –

Steve’s talking and she’s not even listening as she surges up to press her lips to his, stopping him mid sentence. When he doesn’t move to return the kiss, she feels she has her answer and goes to pull away, to apologize, and then –

He stops her. His mouth begins to respond and she feels his teeth sink into her bottom lip.

Oh. _Oh._

So this is what it feels like.

She pulls away when she has to breathe, her smile ready to burst her face. “Hey.”

He leans back in, their foreheads touching. “Hey.”

-;

She’d never been to his house in all the months she had known him.

A sudden fear had looped through her when she had gotten his message inviting her over for dinner. Jane had listened to the message too, raising both brows at the expression of panic on Darcy’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“It feels kind of...intimate.”

“What, going to dinner at his place? How many times has he been here? He was here for Christmas for heaven’s sake.”

“I know that but – I don’t know. I’ve known him for over a year and I’ve never been to his house. Never even considered asking, ya know?”

Jane nods. “All right,” she says slowly. “You lost me.”

Darcy shakes her head. “Never mind.”

She dresses for the date, deciding to go casual with nice jeans and boots and Jane’s nimble fingers work quickly over her unruly brown locks, fixing it into a fishtail braid.

“Call me when you’re on the way home!” is Jane’s departure as she pads out of the living room to her bedroom. She hasn’t let Darcy into her room recently, she’s wondering if she had built some sort of portal to another world.

Steve’s shop had been doing so well that he was able to hire help. Darcy stopped by there and bought about five really nice paintbrushes from the clerk, who lets Darcy have a grab at a spool of nice white ribbon that he has sitting behind the counter. She fixes the brushes into the form of a bouquet and those are the first thing Steve sees when he opens the door to greet her.

“Flowers die and these you will have forever.”

Steve chuckles, taking the brushes. “Thank you. Come on in.”

She doesn’t know why she expects to see some secret dungeon lair when she steps over the threshold of the small house. Couldn’t be further from the truth honestly.

There’s a large dark red overstuffed couch in the center of the room, flanked by two oak wood end tables. One held a large ornamental lamp that cast just the right amount of light across the wooden floors. “Wowza. This is a great place.”

Steve grins, ducking his head. Darcy notices the tips of his ears are flushing red and goddamn is it cute.

They eat a dinner of cashew chicken and rice, which is quite good, followed by wine which unfortunately loosened her tongue.

“I just realized some _thing..._ ” Damn her voice is slurring. “I don’t even know your birthday.”

They’re on the couch after the meal is over, Darcy’s feet in Steve’s lap. His hands gently rub over the soles of her feet and she’s pretty close to moaning in pleasure.

“July 4th.”

“No way!” And she accidentally throws her wine right in his face. “Oh my god I am so sorry!”

Steve laughs, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “I didn’t know that you liked that day so much?”

“Well actually, that’s my birthday too,” she says, covering her face with her hands as her cheeks burn with humiliation. “I cannot believe I did it again.” She looked up to see Steve unbuttoning his wine stained shirt – why is he doing that in front of _her –_ “Me and liquids are a danger to your face.”

“You didn’t get me in the face with the coffee, remember?”

And the shirt’s off.

Her mouth goes dry, eyes widening as she takes in the hard planes and the thick muscles of his torso. And arms! Holy moly, since it was always freaking freezing here in Portland even in the summer, she had never seen him in short sleeves but she could guess what he was hiding underneath the button ups. Now she had the full enchilada just inches from her reach and –

“Darcy?”

“Hrrgh?”

Steve’s laughing again when she feels his hand close around her upper arm, pulling her to her feet. She’s suddenly pulled flush against all of that muscle and she’s pretty sure she’s about to have a small stroke.

Steve’s eyes are soft, gentle, but full of something else that she can’t quite put her finger on. When his mouth closes over hers, she understands.

-;

She falls flat on her back in the sheets, still coming down from the high of her orgasm while attempting to catch her breath. Steve collapses next to her, the same look on his face that she’s sure she’s wearing, one of a tired but delighted bliss.

“That was – holy shit.”

Steve snorts. “Glad to know I suffice.”

“More than that. Good job,” she replies, flipping him a thumbs up. Steve snakes an arm underneath her shoulders and pulls her close. She rests a hand on his chest, tucking her head between his chin and shoulder. “What’s your favorite color?”

He smiles softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Orange. Not like basketball orange,” he adds at the wrinkle of her nose. “Like the sunset. It’s a great color to try and capture when I paint. What’s yours?”

“Rose. Really pale. I actually want to paint my first house that color.”

“Would look better as a trim over ivory.”

“You think?” Steve hums in agreement and Darcy cannot believe that this is her pillow talk.

Her eyelids are growing heavier by the second. Steve senses it, reaching down to pull the covers up higher. “Sleep.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

_Yeah._

**-;**

**There is so so so much more to come, I hope you will hang in there. I felt it does make sense that Jane and Darcy would not know Steve’s face if they are halfway across the world when most of the Avenger action happens. I’m having fun with this au and I hope ya’ll will hang in there with me. Leave reviews if you would like the next chapter!**


	2. Year Two

 

.

.

Darcy slips off her boots before walking into the apartment, lifting up on her tiptoes to get rid of as much noise from her footsteps as she can. She makes it three feet when the light by the sofa suddenly flips on, bathing the room in a low yellow glow. Jane’s sitting there, and she seems a little irritated. Okay, _very_ irritated.

“Do you know how freaked out I was when I woke up at five this morning and there wasn’t a mousy intern poking me with a big stick?”

Darcy’s gaze flits back and forth, searching for an escape and none presents. “Uhhhhh...”

“You better have gotten laid,” Jane suddenly says. “There’s no other excuse for not calling.”

“Not even a bus accident?” Jane shakes her head. “Okay I got laid.”

Her friend laughs, startling her. “That’s wonderful!”

Darcy snickers, lowering herself down onto the sofa beside her. “It’s been so long that even you noticed?”

“Something like that,” Jane admits. “So tell me, did the quiet polite artist call you ‘ma’am’ all the way through?”

“ _Jane!”_

“ _Well?”_

-;

“What are you going to tell your mom?”

“Tell my mom what?”

“About the _‘new man in your life’_.”

Darcy’s eyes widen dramatically at Jane’s quite good impression of her mother. “Please don’t ever do that again.”

Jane rolls her eyes, turning back to the long equation she was currently tackling on the whiteboard. Darcy had considered turning one of the walls in their apartment into a whiteboard in the just in case Jane got a science buzz in the middle of the night but their landlord wouldn’t let her.

“You and Steve are serious, right?”

Darcy nods. “Yeah. I’d like to keep it that way. I’ll send my mom a wedding invitation – _Jane_ what did you do?” Her friend’s giving her the guiltiest set of puppy dog eyes and Darcy’s stomach swoops. “You _didn’t!”_

Jane dips her chin slightly. “I didn’t realize you hadn’t told her yet. She called the other night when you were out with Steve and, uh...”

Darcy raised a shaking hand and pointed a finger. “You big blabbery blabber!”

Jane opens her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by Darcy’s cell phone ringing. Both women stare at the small device on the table like it’s an explosive about ready to go off. Darcy picks it up gingerly, glancing at the caller id and cutting her eyes back to Jane. “She’s never going to leave me alone, you know.”

“She’s four hundred miles away, what can she do?”

Darcy’s tempted to flip Jane the bird as she puts the phone to her ear, slapping on the cheeriest voice she can muster. “ _Hi Mom!”_ She then has to hold the phone a foot away from her ear as she’s greeted with a short tirade in French. “Mom – uh _Mom!_ Alice!” That gets her mother’s attention. “Can you breathe for me, please?”

She hears her mother groan on the other end but does as she’s told. When she speaks again, it’s in English. “Why is it that your Jane tells me that you are – “

Darcy interrupts. “ – happy?” She can almost hear her mother’s scowl. “Mom, I was going to tell you about Steve but everything is still so _new._ I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want you to get upset.”

Her mother’s voice is quieter when she speaks again. “I’d like to meet him sometime.”

Darcy smiles at the sudden change, switching her phone to her other ear. “We can arrange something soon.”

“You promise me, young lady?”

Darcy dips her head, catching Jane’s eye. Her smile stretches her lips and she fights back a laugh. “I suddenly feel twelve years old again, Mom.”

“As long as I am around, you will always be my baby, Darcy Anna.”

Darcy hangs up the phone then, feeling lighter than air. Jane’s watching, a tiny grin playing on her lips. “Okay, you’re not in trouble anymore.”

Jane throws her head back and laughs.

-;

Walking through the door of the shop, the first thing Darcy sees is what seems to be an empty storeroom.

“Steve?”

Steve’s head pops out from behind the counter holding the cash register. “Hello!”

Darcy lets out a small squeak, jumping backwards with her hand on her chest. “You think you’re funny, huh?”

He shoots her a large smile before ducking back behind the table. “I think I’m adorable.”

Darcy rolls her eyes, walking forward to rest her elbows on the counter. She gently runs her fingers through his thick hair and he leans into her touch for a second. “What are you doing?”

On the floor is a dumped over canister of paint brushes of all different sizes. Two other canisters sit nearby, each half filled with brushes. “Sorting. Glenn accidentally ordered an extra three hundred children’s brushes so I’m pulling out the old ones that are not selling.”

“Three hundred?” Darcy repeats, letting out a low whistle. “Can I help?”

Steve shakes his head. “That’s all right. What did you come by here for anyway?”

“Oh!” Darcy reaches into her purse, pulling out a folded up flyer.

When she passes the paper to Steve, large block letters stare back at him. “An art show?”

Darcy winks. “In New York City next week. This rich chick that’s supposed to very good with a paint brush is selling her stuff for charity. It’s being backed by that billionaire dude Tony Stark. I thought you might like to go, we could make a weekend out of it,” she adds.

Her hopes are dashed a moment later when Steve slowly shakes his head. “Darcy, I’m holding like four classes that day. I’m not going to have the time.”

“Oh.” Darcy shrugs her shoulders, fighting back the rising disappointment. “I understand.”

Steve rises to his feet, hands pressing to the edges of the counter. “There’s no reason why you can’t still go. Drag Jane along, you said she hasn’t seen daylight in two weeks.”

“Jane doesn’t like this stuff. I’d have to lie to her and say we were going to a science thingy to even get her interested and she would sniff out my fib in a second.”

Steve chuckles. “I suppose that’s true.”

Darcy’s lip slides out in a pout. “Are you sure you can’t go? I’m doing this for _you,_ buster. You should –“ her tirade is suddenly cut off by Steve’s mouth descending upon hers, catching her right off guard. She moans into the kiss, teeth catching his bottom lip.

“What were you going to say?” Steve whispers once they both come up for air.

“I don’t know, what were we talking about?”

-;

“I really thought this would be right up his alley. I mean he owns an art supply store for Thor’s sake!” Jane grumbles softly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she fiddles with her phone. Darcy watches her for a moment. “Are you even listening?”

“Yeah, yeah, Darcy I’m listening.”

Darcy frowns. “So I’m going to have a litter of kittens in the spring and my old cat Madam Fluffy used to talk to me. She said she would take over the world eventually. I still think she was Loki in kitty disguise.”

“Mmhmm, that’s wonderful Darcy.” _Tap, tap, tap._

She sighs, looking around the crowded room. She had managed to drag Jane to the exhibit after all, albeit with much kicking and screaming. The museum was really nice and she was itching to go exploring but they were surrounded by many big and burly security guards that growled at her whenever she got too close to a painting. And the paintings weren’t even that pretty to begin with. She and Steve would have made fun of these things together.

Out of the corner of her eye, Darcy glimpses a woman around her age, dressed all in black suddenly walk into the room. The woman’s quite beautiful, Darcy thinks, with scarlet hair that falls down her back in a tight braid and a figure that she instantly envies. The woman also looks like she could chew Darcy up and spit her back out.

For some reason, she feels a sense of urgency. Almost like she needs to get Jane and get out of here.

She’s being watched.

Darcy reaches over and grabs Jane’s hand, ignoring her squawk as she steers her towards the wall, inching towards the exit as the redheaded woman moves deeper into the room. “Darcy, what are you --?”

“We gotta go, Janey.” Darcy slides her hands into her purse and wraps her fingers around her taser. She’ll tase a girl if she has to, there is no way –

They are almost to the exit when the redhead suddenly appears right in front of them. Darcy falls back with a small squeak, arm slung out in front of Jane. The woman blinks, something that looks like surprise reflecting in her eyes as she regards Darcy. “I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Natasha Romanoff, an associate of Tony Stark’s.”

Jane’s head shoots up. “You’re the... _Black Widow?_ ”

Natasha nods. “Yes. Mr. Stark couldn’t make it today so he sent me ahead to stand in for him. It is very nice to meet the two of you. He spoke very highly of you, Dr. Foster. He really enjoyed speaking with you last year in London.”

Jane’s face reddens. “Thanks.” She points to Darcy. “This is my intern, Darcy Lewis. I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I did without her.”

When Darcy takes Natasha’s hand, she’s startled at how cold the other woman’s fingers are. “Glad to know you, Ms. Romanoff,” she manages to grind out.

“And you, Ms. Lewis.”

Natasha’s eyes rest on her for almost a full minute, enough to make to Darcy ready to squirm like a child trapped in a car. She breathes only when Natasha bids them a polite goodbye and moves onto the next patron in attendance. Jane’s pulling on her arm this time, yanking Darcy from her thoughts a few minutes later. “I thought you wanted to leave?”

Darcy lets out a gust of breath through her nostrils, eyes still resting on the other woman as she does her meet and greet. “Yeah. Yeah let’s go.”

The drive back to Portland is spent in silence on Darcy’s part. Jane doesn’t seem to notice as she chats away about a new equation she has to work on when they get back to the labs.

Darcy cannot get the way that woman looked at her out of her head. Like she knew her, knew everything about her. She didn’t think that Natasha was going to hurt her. She _was_ an Avenger and was a superhero but Darcy also didn’t know jack about the Avengers. She didn’t know their faces, she didn’t know most of their names. She knew about Tony Stark outside of Thor and that was only because Stark never shut up about himself. The man was _always_ on the news.

After fighting elves in London, Darcy’s interest in the great unknown diminished greatly. Thor had been enough to satisfy her curiosity. She missed the big lug.

-;

Steve drops his mug when she tells him about Natasha.

“Jesus, are you okay? It’s not like I told you aliens invaded.”

He nods quickly, leaning down to pick up the pieces of the porcelain and tossing them into the trash. “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine. Sorry.”

“Steve...your hands are trembling.” Which they are. Darcy’s eyes rest on the ten digits now clenching the counter with strength that he should not have. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Steve quickly shakes his head. “Nope. I’m just a little jumpy tonight.” He plasters on a smile that is so obviously fake but before Darcy can even think to question him, he’s pulling her off of the stool and into his arms. All of her thoughts immediately fly out the window when his mouth sears onto hers.

When she needs air, she pulls away, gasping. “What in the world --?”

“I missed you.”

And that’s all she needs to hear.

An hour later, she’s laying on her side in Steve’s bed. His fingers trace lines over the planes in her bare shoulders, his touch feather light and enough to send electricity right down to her toes.

“I’d like to draw you sometime.”

Smiling, Darcy rolls onto her back to meet his eyes. “Would it have to be a portrait? Because I cannot sit still for that long.”

Laughing, Steve kisses her, much softer this time. “You’re like a five year old with that.”

“Or an excitable puppy that doesn’t want her picture taken!” Darcy interjects happily, returning the kiss. “By the way, this?” She waves an arm at their sheet covered bodies. “Fantastic distraction method. Great way to win arguments.”

“Really?”

“No.”

-;

“You’re going on a _date?”_

Jane scowls, her arms falling to her sides. “You’re acting like it’s the most ridiculous thing in the world!”

Darcy quickly shakes her head. “No no, it’s just a strange thing for _you_ to do.”

“Darcy!”

“Sorry! Steve help me.”

He laughs from the kitchen, pouring himself the fifth and last cup of coffee she had brewed earlier today. “Don’t look at me.”

“Chicken.”

“Wuss.”

“ _Women.”_ He ducks as two couch pillows are thrown at his head.

Thirty minutes later Jane walks out of the bedroom wearing a form fitting purple dress, her hair tossed back in a loose ponytail. Darcy wolf whistles, climbing off of the sofa to examine her friend. “You clean up nice, Janey!”

“Darcy!” Jane waves her hand at Darcy’s words but there is a blush on her cheeks. It’s so nice to see her dear friend finally happy again.

The guy that shows up is not what Darcy is expecting.

“Hi, I’m here to pick up Jane Foster?”

Darcy nods, opening the door wider to let him in. He’s a mousy sort of fellow but tall and reasonably built with a splash of dark hair on top of his head. Definitely the science type but there was something about him that Darcy immediately felt as soon as he stepped over the threshold that made the hairs stand up on her arms.

“Uh, I’m Darcy Lewis, Jane’s roommate,” she says quickly sticking out her hand. Steve trots in from the connecting kitchen, another cup of coffee in his hand. “And this is Steve, my boyfriend.”

The man takes her hand, his fingers chilly as they flex around hers. “Roy Danford. I’m a clerk at the center where Jane works.”

Darcy cocks her head to the side. “I’ve never seen you there.”

“I just started there about a week ago. Transferred in from out of state.”

Steve’s watching Roy with a look that doesn’t sit right with Darcy. Before she can say anything else, Jane practically jogs in with an energy that Darcy had only seen on her when she was knee deep in science. “Roy!”

Roy smiles, holding out his hands for her to take. “You look beautiful.”

Jane beams and Darcy suddenly forgets her suspicions. “All right you two, have a good time.”

“Call when you’re on the way home,” Steve adds and Jane raises a brow.

“Yes _Dad._ ” She kisses Darcy on the cheek, still grinning. “We’re going to Ricardo’s on 5th. I’ll bring you back a parfait!” Roy’s frogmarching her out the door. “See you!”

“Strawberry parfait!” Darcy hollers after her, shutting the door when Roy and Jane round the corner and disappear from view. When she turns around, Steve’s staring at a point on the door, somewhere above Darcy’s head. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“What’s with the face?” she says, wiggling a finger in his direction.

Steve shakes his head. “Nothing. Uh, you want to watch a movie?”

The rest of the evening, Steve literally nearly comes out of his chair every time the phone rings. Darcy takes the calls, all business stuff for Jane, scratching the messages down on the whiteboard stuck to the fridge. Jane calls when the end credits to Moonlight are beginning to roll.  

“Hey Janey!”

_“We’re running a little late. Roy took me to a movie and it’s longer than I thought it would be. I’ll probably be home in about an hour.”_

Darcy’s eyes flick to the clock on the oven. “Jane it’s nearly nine –“

 _“_ Mom _I am not a child. See you soon!”_

The phone goes dead.

Steve gets off of the couch, reaching for his coat. “I’m going to go look for her.”

Darcy’s brows shoot up. “What are you talking about? She’s a big girl.”

“I know but –“ He licks his lips, looking like he’s deciding whether or not to tell her something. “I didn’t like that guy. I don’t trust him.”

“Do you think...do you think he’s some kind of creep?” Darcy asks, sudden fear clenching her chest.

Steve nods. “Did she say what movie theatre they were at?”

Darcy shakes her head. “No uh –“ _Wait._ “Probably the Cinemagic, that’s the one closest.”

“Okay.” He leans over to kiss her. “I’ll call you when I find her.”

Darcy darts away from his touch, grabbing her bag up off of the table. “Screw that, I’m coming with you.”

“ _Darcy –“_

“ _No._ Steve, Jane is my best friend. She is my...my _person._ I’m coming with you.”

-;

Darcy fights back her worry as they drive down town to the Cinemagic. Steve isn’t saying much and Darcy notices how his knuckles are white as they clench the steering wheel of the Jeep. “You’re really worried about her, aren’t you?”

He swallows, chin dipping. “This is going to sound ridiculous but...Jane reminds me of an old friend of mine. He, uh, died a few years back. You know how...how you said Jane was your person?”

Darcy reaches over and gently pries one of his hands loose off of the wheel. “Was he  _your_ person?” Steve nods. Her fingertips tighten around his hand. “She’s okay. And...thank you.”

Roy and Jane are just walking out of the theatre when they drive up. Jane’s jaw drops when she recognizes the Jeep, her pretty face twisting into a scowl as she marches up to the passenger’s side. “ _What_ are you two doing here?”

“Why Jane, we were just dying to see the movie playing here tonight so –“ Darcy begins.

“It’s a _Disney_ film. You hate Disney!” Jane interrupts. “You two were checking up on me, weren’t you?”

“I do _not_ hate Disney –“

“We were worried,” Steve says calmly, getting out to lean against the hood of the car. “Hop in, we’ll take you home.”

Jane frowns, turning to Roy. Darcy’s eyes flit to the other man and she can see that he’s barely listening to Jane as she apologizes, his gaze flicking back and forth between her and Steve. He seems...alarmed at the sight of Steve, big and hulking, and within three strides of where he stands.

Darcy’s thoughts are cut short as Jane accepts a kiss on the cheek from Roy and clampers into the backseat of the jeep, slamming the door as hard as she can.

Steve’s still outside, watching as Roy walks away and gets into his car, waiting until the man has disappeared down the street before he gets back in. “You okay?” Darcy whispers.

He nods. “Fine.”

It’s then Jane bursts into a rant. “I don’t understand _why_ you two think I cannot think or take care of myself. I am _not_ still weeping over Thor. He’s gone and I am most likely never going to see him again.”

Steve’s shoulders stiffen tightly. Darcy rests a gentle hand on one, leaning her head to briefly catch his gaze but he ignores her, keeping his eyes focused on the darkened road.

“I’m _over_ Thor. I’m doing fine. I’m just trying to be happy, just like you always told me, Darcy!”

“Jane –“ Darcy twists in her seat, looking at Jane’s reddened face. “We’re sorry. This will never happen again.”

Jane sniffs indignantly, folding her arms in front of her chest. Darcy sighs, turning back to the front. She’s going to have some groveling to do later.

When they get back to the apartment building, Jane’s out of the car before Steve even brings it to the curb, marching with a mighty (and tiny) fury. Darcy winces when the front door slams heavily behind her. “We have to make it up to her.”

Steve sighs heavily, sounding much older than his years. “I’ll figure something out. This was my fault anyway.”

“Steve...” Before Darcy can get out another word, he’s out of the car and she has no choice but to follow.

-;

“All right, I got her calmed down. I apologized about twenty times and promised to order those new strawberry lemon poptarts that are not even on the market yet.”

Steve chuckles, pushing the covers aside so Darcy can climb into bed beside him. “I’m really sorry, _again.”_

Darcy waves away his words. “Jane will get over it. We just have to not do it again. When you get a weird feeling, keep it to yourself. Wait, that didn’t sound right.” She curls into Steve’s side, arm wrapping around his waist. His lips graze her forehead, his own arm sliding underneath her shoulder and pulling her tightly against his chest. “She was right about us acting like overprotective parents.”

Steve snorts. “That’s something I never thought I’d be called.”

“You try to ‘father’ everyone around you, haven’t you ever noticed that?” Darcy asks, sitting up a little bit. “You do that to Glenn down at the store, to Jane. You called the delivery guy ‘son’ yesterday, do you remember that?” She rubs her cheek against his shoulder. “Have you ever thought about it?”

“Thought about what?”

“Having kids?”

“Oh.” Steve furrows his brow in thought. “That never really...I mean, I suppose?”

“Okay. I’ll shut up now.” She kisses him softly on the chin, burrowing down into his arms.

She has never felt more warm and safe in all of her life.  

Just as sleep is taking her in, she hears Steve’s voice.

“If I had a daughter...I’d call her Sarah. After my mom.”

Darcy falls into sleep.

.

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowee wow wow. That was a wild ride, lol. Yep, Roy is Hydra. We are flipping into Steve’s pov for one chapter and then back to Darcy’s for the rest of the story. And yeah I think we all know Darcy is going to end up pregnant, lol. I am so looking forward to bringing this delicious angst to you guys. Please leave reviews!


	3. Going Back

 

.

.

_The place was coming down._

_“Cap! Cap, we need to go!”_

_Someone’s pulling on his arm, trying to make him move for the door but he does not budge. “I know he’s here! He was_ just _here!”_

 _“He’s not anymore!” Natasha’s yelling. “And if we don’t go_ now _we aren’t going to be here anymore either!”_

_He finally relents, looping an arm around the redhead’s shoulders and gently pushing her face down away from the billowing smoke. The flames are dancing higher, taking home all around the room and beams are starting to crack above their heads._

_They’re at the door when Steve sees him. He pulls away from Natasha, ignoring her shout of fear. “Danford!”_

_He hears a laugh and the figure disappears into the flames like he was never there in the first place. A voice that he supposes is supposed to be ominous rings out. “I will see you again, Captain America.”_

_-;_

“Steve? Steve, wake up.” Darcy’s hands are gentle on his face, stroking his chin when his eyes flutter open. “Are you all right?”

“What happened?” he whispers, struggling to sit up and feeling surprisingly weak. Darcy shoves an extra pillow behind his head for support.

“You were having a nightmare. At least I think you were,” she adds. “You scared me, I couldn’t wake you up at first.”

His face flushes. What had he been doing while he was asleep? “I’m sorry for frightening you.”

Darcy shrugs a shoulder. “It’s nearly seven, we might as well get up.”

Steve kicks the covers off of his legs, swinging them off the bed to stand. “You don’t have too, Darce.”

She ignores him, trotting past to head to the bathroom. Steve pads into the kitchen and to his surprise, it’s already occupied by Jane, banging her fist against the coffee maker. “Stupid piece of crap!”

“Is it broken?”

Jane jumps slightly, sending him a frown. “I, uh, don’t know how to use it. Darcy always makes the coffee.” Her cheeks color.

Well that’s one thing he’s good at. “Let me try.” Jane steps back, allowing him access to the machine. He hits a few buttons on top of the machine and it roars to life. “There you go.”

Jane scowls, turning away. “I’m still mad at you.”

“Understood,” he says calmly, not looking at her as he reaches into the cupboard for mugs.

“I’ll get over it eventually.”

He looks at her then, hitching the corner of his mouth up in what he hopes is a convincing smile. “Jane, listen –“

“No Steve,” Jane interrupts. He falls silent, waiting. She heaves a great sigh before continuing. “I went through a horrible break up a little over a year ago. I don’t know if Darcy ever told you about that.”

“She did, sort of. I didn’t ask for details, I didn’t think it was my place.”

Jane nods in understanding, folding her arms in front of her chest. “He wasn’t around too much and I understood that because he had a crazy family that he needed to go home to tend too. But we tried to make it work and I thought...”

“You thought you’d be together forever,” Steve supplies. He had pieced together the details of Jane’s relationship with the God of Thunder a while ago. The moment that Darcy had accidentally let slip his name, he knew.

Jane dips her chin, brushing at the tears in her eyes. “So getting out last night was _good_. I never even considered looking the way of another man so – I mean – I feel good now.”

Guilt suddenly floods in Steve’s chest. He attempts another smile, bowing his head. He wishes he could tell her. He wishes he could tell her and Darcy everything.

“Be good to her, okay?”

Surprised, his head flies up. “What?”

Jane’s looking closely at him, her gaze almost searching. Steve suddenly feels like he’s being examined under a microscope. “Be good to Darcy. Give her everything that she deserves. I know you would never but if you do _ever_ hurt her I will send you into another galaxy, understood?”

Steve doesn’t doubt her threat for a moment. He reaches out an arm and she takes his hand, allowing him to pull her to his chest. She clings to him for a second and Steve’s heart absolutely _aches._ “I’m sorry,” he whispers, so soft that she doesn’t hear.

-;

Danford’s waiting for him.

Steve isn’t surprised by this.

He knows that he should immediately be lunging for this man’s neck but something is holding him back. He finds himself rooted to the floor, keys still hanging from his fingertips.

Danford places a finger to his lips and cocks his head towards his kitchen, motioning for Steve to follow. Steve’s eyes cut to the coffee table, wondering how much time he has to grab it and throw it at Danford’s back. His keys fall from his hand and into the bowl by the door with a soft _clink_.

“Apartment 22, Fifth street,” Danford says suddenly, stopping Steve in his tracks.

Darcy and Jane’s apartment.

The blood is roaring in his ears as he trails after Danford, his fists clenched at his sides. Just one strike, that’s all he needs. The perfect excuse to make this quick and go back to Darcy and Jane, gather them up and hide them but –

 _Now!_ He strikes as Danford turns back around, pushing him so hard that his back connects with the kitchen counter. He lays a fist into the man’s jaw and Danford gasps in pain for a second. Steve thinks for just a moment that it’s already over and he can end this now but suddenly his vision is blurred and his whole body is wracked with agony.

Widow bites. _Natasha._

“Like ‘em?” Danford waves what looks to be a set of brass knuckles in his face as he struggles to come back down from the height of the pain. “Took us months to copy the design of the redheaded bitch’s wrist band. Easier to put them on our fingers, quicker hit.”

Steve groans, placing a hand to his head as he struggles to sit up. Danford pushes his foot into his chest. “Uh-uh. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

No sooner do the words leave his mouth Steve is wracked with a wave of nausea. He turns his head to the side and vomits on the linoleum, groaning again. His limbs are still trembling. A regular human would be out cold from the bites, these only put him down on the floor for a couple of minutes.

That’s something that Danford seems to understand. “I’ve got about three minutes before you’re up and moving again so I will use that time wisely. Foster was a side target. She wasn’t _needed._ But as long as you are around, she will be. Do you get my drift?”

The shaking in Steve’s knees is subsiding. He manages to wrench his hand up and rest it on his thigh.

Danford’s jaw is doing something weird. Something that he recognizes.

As the last of the shock fades off of Steve’s form, he watches in a new one as Danford’s mouth begins to fill with white foam. He stares, frozen in place, as Danford starts to choke to death right in front of him.

Steve flinches as the last garble of air leaves the other man’s body and he falls to the floor beside him with a heavy thud.

The shock from the bite has worn off but Steve cannot find the nerve to move. He has too soon or else the police will soon be here to find him in the kitchen with a dead body.

Taking in a breath that he didn’t realize he had been holding, Steve rolls over onto his stomach and slowly pushes himself to his feet. His hands grip the sides of the counter, not trusting himself to walk by himself just yet.

At that moment, his cell phone dings. Steve looks around for the small device, finding it laying face down on the floor beside the entrance to the kitchen. He leans down, slowly scooping it up in his shaking fingers.

_You disappeared quickly this morning. Everything okay?_

Darcy.

A heavy terrible pain, unlike anything he had ever felt before, fills him up to the brim. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had cried, probably around the time that Bucky fell but now... _now_ he feels like he could.

He taps out a short reply.

_Something came up. Be by later._

He knows he will not keep that promise.

The phone dings in his hands, startling him so much that he nearly drops it again.

_Sweet! Can’t wait. Love you._

And that’s it. That’s all that’s left.

Steve stares at the message for what seems like forever, wondering...

His finger moves over the screen, hovering over the delete button. When his thumb falls, the small green box disappears and he gasps.

He’s dialing another number, listening as it rings once, the small sound replaced by a cool voice he had hoped he’d never have to hear again.

“ _Hello_?”

Steve swallows, his voice coming out in a crackle. “Natasha?”

-;

His old partner looks around the wrecked kitchen, her hands on her hips. “Widow bites, huh?”

He nods, scuffing the back of his head with his hand. “Something like that.”

“You’re lucky you live outside of the city,” she tells him. “This would be a lot harder.”

It doesn’t take long to report Danford’s death to Fury. Steve winced as he listened to Fury shout at Natasha over the phone, the older man obviously furious at the cover being blown. Natasha hangs up the phone after a swift goodbye to his old boss, turning to him with a look of sympathy etched on her face.

“You know what you have to do, right?” Steve blinks, his mouth stretched tight. He knows. He hates it but he knows. “You have to say goodbye.”

He flinches at the words, feeling like he had been stabbed.

He doesn’t _want_ to say goodbye. He _can’t –_

“Steve I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Natasha’s face is pinched, sadness in her eyes. He could vomit again, this time from a whole new pain. “Go to her. Say goodbye. Just don’t tell her about –“

He shakes his head. “No. No, that’s all right.”

“But – _Steve –“_

He turns to Natasha, grabbing the hand she had reached out to him. “No.”

He can’t say goodbye. If he tries to, he will never leave.

“They’ll be safe, right?”

Natasha nods. “Fury’s already sending guards out to watch over them for the next year. Clint and I will come and check on them.”

He holds up a shaking hand. “They _have_ to be safe, Nat.”

“They will be. I promise you.”

-;

The ride back to New York is spent in silence. He sleeps a little bit, at least he thinks he does. They’re back in the city within the blink of an eye and Natasha is gently shaking his shoulder. “You ready?”

He shakes his head but follows.

The rest of the team knew. He sees the sympathy in Sam’s eyes, and he leans a little too long into the hug that Wanda offers him. “I’m so sorry,” the younger woman whispers in his ear, pulling away.

Tony’s in his office, trying to wade through what looked to be a mountain of paperwork as tall as him. He drops whatever is in his hands when Steve walks through the door, FRIDAY releasing the lock to grant him entrance. “Holy shit, I must have lost track of time.” The older man quickly walks around the edge of his desk, hand extended and Steve grasps it.

Tony and Darcy really do have the same chin.

“Romanoff passed the word on to me,” Tony says, his tone gentler than Steve had ever heard before. “I’m sorry.”

Steve’s shoulder twitches, almost like someone had touched him. Tony picks up on it almost immediately. “Your apartment is just as you left it. Go sack out. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Thank you,” he whispers, almost fleeing from the office.

True to his word, the apartment is still just the same. He had hardly been here back in the day. The team was constantly traveling all over the world and nothing at this tower was ever given a personal touch.

The small house in Portland was. He had decorated it to the best of his ability and once Darcy had come in there like a bat out of hell, Jane trailing not too far after, the place became alive and filled with something that tasted almost like hope.

He sets his duffel down on the bed, grimacing at the plain white blankets and sheets. He feels like he is in a hotel room.

There’s a small grey credit card sitting on the table and he glimpses his name embossed in the gold letters. A Stark expense card. His numbers must have been reactivated the moment that Tony had heard he was on the way back.

Steve wonders something else for a moment, and follows the hunch.

When he had left, Captain America had been retired. The shield was packed away, the suit had been destroyed due to the amounts of blood that had soaked it through, past the point of ever being washed out.

The shield and a new suit are in the closet. The shield looks just like he had left it, with the scratches and bullet marks from Peggy’s shots. He stares at the thing with what feels like disgust rising in his throat.

He doesn’t want to be here. He wants to go _home._

After showering and changing into different clothes, he works at taking the beard off of his face. His chin is covered with tiny nicks when FRIDAY interrupts. “Captain, can I permit Sharon Carter entrance?”

The blonde finds him standing over the sink, hands clenching the edges of the tile so hard that they threaten to crack underneath his fingers.

“Oh _Steve_.”

 -;

“You think I’m a fool?”

She shakes her head. “I think you’re doing what you can to protect them.” Sharon stares at a point on the carpet thoughtfully for a second, her chin resting on her fist. He can see the slim gold band on her ring finger that Sam had placed there two weeks before everything had happened. He was glad to know that they were still married. “This Darcy...do you love her?”

His stomach turns over at the mere question and Sharon seems to see the instant pain on his face. “Permission to retract that?”

He smirks. “Permission granted, Agent.”

“Hey, uh, do you want me to cut your hair?”

About twenty minutes later, Sharon’s putting away the scissors and comb while he cleans the hair up off of the bathroom floor. His hand keeps brushing over the top of his head, reaching for the headful of light brown locks that are not there anymore. When he turns to brush the hair into the dust pan, he catches his image in the mirror.

He doesn’t look like Steve Roberts anymore. He doesn’t even look like Steve _Rogers._

He looks like Captain America.

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All righty! So I know this was a very confusing chapter so let me give you the cliff notes. Basically, Danford was dead either way. He couldn’t get out of Portland. He also knew that once he attempted to report Steve’s whereabouts to Hydra he would die a very slow lingering death – whether it be at Hydra’s hands or Steve’s. He took the easy way out, hence the cyanide pill in his teeth. 
> 
> Steve realized he had to leave because if he attempted to stay, his cover was already blown and the whole city would be in danger. If he blew his cover to Darcy and Jane, they’d have to go into protective custody and their lives would be ruined. Basically, he’s doing what he thinks is correct (and it is) and the Avengers can still keep an eye on the two girls from afar. 
> 
> Oh and for anyone curious, Thor will be returning soon. He’s been on Asgard the whole time, only coming down when the Avengers needed him. 
> 
> Back to Darcy's POV next chapter.


	4. Sarah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Just to clear a few things up, except for Thor (and Jane working with Tony once), the girls have had no connections to the Avengers. Shield did watch them briefly during the events of the Avengers but once ties were severed between Thor and Jane and Jane got the job in Maryland, protection ceased. Jane did remain on Hydra’s radar though, hence Danford turning up. I know this is all confusing. Hang in there with me.

.

.

Darcy immediately worries when Steve doesn’t show up that night. He doesn’t stand her up like this. Never has.

His phone goes to straight to voicemail, which has no greeting on it. On the second day, the phone is suddenly disconnected. She tells Jane she will be late to the center today, seeing the other brunette off before she heads over to Steve’s house.

All the lights are out and the jeep is missing from the driveway. Darcy walks up the front walk to the door, sliding the key he had given her into the lock. To her surprise, the key gets stuck. She just manages to get the key out and slides it back into her pocket, rapping her knuckles against the hard wood of the door. No answer.

“Steve? Steve!”

Nothing.

After walking around the house a few more times, finding no sign of life anywhere, Darcy heads back downtown. She wonders if she should stop by the police station but she knows that they will just tell her to come back in twenty four hours.

The art store is open. Darcy perks up and quickly dashes ahead into the small building, but to her disappointment, only Glenn is there behind the counter.

The young man perks up when he sees her. “Hey boss!”

Darcy stops in her tracks, smile fading. “Boss?”

Glenn’s smile fades. “Steve hasn’t told you yet?”

Darcy takes a step towards the clerk. “Tell me what?”

Glenn picks up a pack of papers off of the corner of the counter, passing them to her. “These arrived early this morning. Steve had to leave town and, well, the store is _yours.”_

Darcy’s head is swimming from the information, but the one thing that stands out is, _left town._

Steve left town. He’s gone.

He’s _gone._

Glenn’s babbling away in her ear but Darcy barely listens. Her eyes gloss over the papers he had handed her, large block letters on the top of the page practically screaming at her.

_Rights of Ownership._

“He left me a note,” Glenn says. “He said that the store is yours to do with what you want. Darcy, I thought you knew? I mean, since the two of you have been together for so long, I just assumed...” An alarmed expression crosses his face. “Oh god, I am _so_ sorry.”

Darcy feels like she is going to throw up. In fact – “Take this, I’ll be right back,” she says, slapping the papers to the boy’s chest as she pushes past him in haste for the small bathroom in the back.

What little she had for breakfast comes up in the toilet. Darcy grimaces, dry heaving for several minutes, struggling to find a breath that she knows is gone forever. A few stubborn tears leak out of her eyes and she pushes them away, climbing to her feet on trembling limbs. There’s a small knock on the door a moment later when she’s rinsing her face off and a hand holding a water bottle appears.

“Thanks Glenn.”

The boy utters another apology, shutting the door after her.

Darcy drinks the water, almost the whole bottle before she walks back out. Glenn’s waiting on a customer, cashing out an order of a child’s paint set. Once the woman is gone, he looks to her. “What do you want me to do?”

“Do?” Darcy repeats.

“Do you want me to close the place down? Do you want me to go?” he asks her and Darcy’s heart cracks when she sees the sudden fear on his face.

“I don’t know, kid,” she utters softly. “Um...” What the hell was she supposed to do now? “What do _you_ want to do?”

“I want to finish the day, if that’s okay? And then, uh –“ he turns back to the table and scribbles something down on a piece of paper and hands it to her. “You call me when you know what you’re going to do?” She glances down to see a phone number.

Darcy nods. She knows Glenn means well, that’s he is just worried about his job and she cannot fault him for that.

Taking the legal papers in her hand, she leaves. The drive home is shorter than she realizes. To her surprise, Jane is in the kitchen, puttering around. “Hey! Did you find Steve?”

Darcy shakes her head, flopping the papers down onto the counter beside Jane’s right elbow. Jane picks them up, eyes scanning over the title before turning to stare at Darcy.

“He’s gone, Jane. The house is locked up, his jeep is gone. Glenn said that those were fed-exed to him this morning. He’s just... _gone.”_

And that’s when the tears come.

Darcy swallows at them, trying her best to hold them back. She has to be strong, she can’t fall apart. She can’t –

Jane’s arms suddenly wrap around her, pulling her in. Darcy lets out a small sob, grief threatening to take her down into the abyss. This is almost worse than a death. A death comes with closure. Long amounts of horrible pain but still...closure and the ability to get up and move on once again.

Jane holds her until all of her tears are gone.

-;

Two months later.

.

_Knock, knock._

Darcy flinches, not raising her head from the pillows as she hears her door open. “Darcy?” She moans in reply to Jane’s soft inquiry, rolling over so her face is squished into the pillows to block out the light from the open door.

Jane tiptoes into the bedroom with the tread of a cat. Darcy hears a light clinking noise and she peels one eye open to see Jane pulling the ginger ale bottle off of the nightstand and replacing it with a new one. Her friend makes a noise of disgust when she glimpses the trash bin that Darcy had vomited into three times in the last hour, picking it up to take away.

“How are you feeling?”

Darcy manages to pull a hand out from underneath the cover, rubbing her palm into her gritty eyes. “Like one of those dark elves chewed me up and spit me back out.”

Jane makes a small noise of sympathy. “I called your doctor. He is going to fit you in for this afternoon.”

“No, Janey, _noooo.”_

“Yes, Darcy, yes. You’ve been puking non stop for almost a week. The twenty four hour bug is on it’s fifth day. Time to go in.” Jane reaches down and yanks the covers off of Darcy’s bare legs. “Up!”

She’s pulled from the bed and directed into the bathroom to shower. The hot water only makes her throw up again, this time just ginger ale and bile. There’s nothing left in her stomach to come up. Jane leaves clean jeans and a flannel on the sink and Darcy pulls them on, her skin still damp after dumping the towel on the floor.

An hour later, her doctor is shining a light in her eyes that she tries to bat away. “Seriously doc?”

Dr. Carson ignores her, gently pressing his fingers to her lymph nodes. “Darcy, when was your last menstrual period?”

“What kind of question is that?” she wonders.

“I’m getting to my point,” Carson says. “When was it?”

“Uh...” Darcy gnaws on her bottom lip, thinking hard. Well as hard as this rotten flu will let her. “I think about...thirteen weeks ago?”

“You haven’t had a period since then?”

Darcy shakes her head. “They’re never regular. I’ve skipped them two to three at a time. Why?”

“Well, the thing is, Darcy, is that you are not showing any signs of influenza or anything else that would explain this vomiting. Your lymph nodes are not swollen, you don’t have a fever. You said most of the vomiting was in the morning but certain smells would set you off as well.”

“You’re losing me, doc.”

“When was the last time you had unprotected sex?”

A blush tinges her cheeks. Darcy has always been very open about her life, about the things that happen to her body but her sex life was something she did like to keep to herself. “ _Why?”_ she asks warily.

“I have a hunch about something,” Carson says.

Darcy scowls. “About...” Oh god. _Shit._ “About ten weeks ago.”

“You would have gotten your period about a week later, correct?”

“Wait a minute, do you think I am pregnant?”

Carson nods. “It’s something I would like to rule out before I admit you to the hospital for further tests.”

So she agrees to the blood test.

Darcy’s a jangle of nerves for the next three days. Jane sets her to work on the computers in the lab but every time the phone rings, she about throws her laptop right out the window.

On the third day, right at eight in the morning just as she’s about to walk out the door, the phone rings. Something inside tells her that this is it, that she needs to start thinking about cribs and diapers, and finding a bigger place to live because of course, this is how her life always turns out.

So she isn’t surprised when the technician tells her in a faux cheery voice, “ _Congratulations! You’re pregnant!”_

Darcy half expects for her body to shut down. The depression that had smacked her over the head after Steve had left her and disappeared had lasted for weeks, and it took enough of a toll on her body for her to think that the vomiting and the flu symptoms were all part of that. The tables had turned and for those weeks, Jane was the one taking care of her.

But now... _now..._

Darcy’s hand snakes over her still flat stomach and she cannot help but be _terrified._

And oh so happy.

Being pregnant is a wake up call for her. Darcy feels her spirit suddenly kick back to life once again and she hits the computers, searching everywhere for some sort of record on one Steve Roberts. She needs to find him, she needs him to know that he’s going to have a kid. She honestly doesn’t care whether he wants to be involved or not though.

In what should take her about a day to track him down, she finds nothing. No records, no credit card numbers, _nothing._ Her fear begins to rise because god, _what if..._

Her voice rattling when she tells Jane that Steve Roberts had disappeared forever.

It’s like he never even existed in the first place.

-;

Going back to work is better than she thought it would be. Jane makes another breakthrough in the early fall, discovering a tiny portal hidden somewhere deep in the galaxy. Darcy mans the computers, bringing her information into a suitable presentation so she can take it to London to present to the big wigs that were stationed out there.

“We should just move back out there. Easier than all of these expensive flights.”

Jane looks up from her paperwork, raising a brow. “Do you want too?”

Darcy nods. “I wouldn’t mind it. At least after the baby is born. My mom would murder me if I moved again without her seeing her grandchild.”

Alice Lewis had cursed Steve’s name when Darcy had told her what happened. _“I never liked him.”_

Darcy had laughed, feeling slightly happier. _“You never even met him.”_

_“That doesn’t matter. I still never liked him.”_

And then her mother had screamed loudly in her ear when she learned she had a grandchild on the way. _“You’re raising them Jewish, right?”_

Darcy was still thinking about that.

“You’re about five months now. You can still fly,” Jane supplies. “We could go now. The Briemund Institute said that their job offer still stands.”

“We’d get out there, get settled and then I’d pop the nugget out,” Darcy says, shaking her head. “Is it okay to wait?”

The minute Jane agrees, Darcy knows that the move will never happen.

-;

She finds out she’s having a daughter.

“Are you sure?” she asks her doctor about five times in the span of two minutes. “Absolutely positively sure?”

Her OB, a nice lady named Becker, nods, laughing softly. “You are having a healthy baby girl. Everything looks good here, mama.”

It didn’t even seem real, Darcy thinks as the sonogram pictures are printed out and passed to her. She can see the shape of her baby’s head and shoulders as well as ten little toes. A human, a literal _human being_ was growing in her stomach. She remembered her mother telling her stories about when she was carrying Darcy but she hadn’t listened too hard.

Now it all made sense.

“Have you thought of a name yet?”

She dips her chin thoughtfully, biting her lip as she mulls over the word that is about to come out of her mouth.

“Sarah.”

-;

The morning begins with pain. Too much pain.

Darcy lets out a soft cry when the first real contraction hits. Two bouts with Braxton Hicks had sent her to the hospital already and she was not eager to repeat that but this was the real thing. She knew right then.

Jane nearly crashes the car rushing them to the hospital, Darcy hanging onto the safety bar above her head while she dials her mother. Alice promises to fly out immediately, hanging up with a hurried _I love you_ that Darcy barely hears as the next shard of pain hits.

Initially, she thinks her water broke.

When she looks down at her pant legs, she sees the scarlet staining the denim, she nearly faints. “Jane...Jane I’m bleeding.”

They get to the hospital and within seconds medics and nurses are pulling her out of the car and placing her on a gurney. She sobs as more pain settles in, and wonders if it will ever stop.

Someone’s talking to her, asking her when the contractions started. She feels someone else sliding cool metal along her leg, a pair of scissors. Her jeans are being cut off.

Jane’s yelling, demanding information as Darcy is wheeled away from her, her gurney pushed through double doors and into a cold trauma room.

Becker’s there. When did she get there? The older woman leans over Darcy’s bed, gently pressing her hand to her hair. “Darcy, listen to me. Your baby is going into rapid fetal distress. She has the cord wrapped around her neck. We need to do a c-section and get her out, do you understand?”

Darcy nods, tears leaking out of her eyes and falling down the sides of her face. “I understand.”

“We’re going to get you prepped and pretty soon you’re going to have your beautiful daughter in your arms, okay?”

She nods again, wondering for a second why she isn’t feeling any pain. Glancing down, she sees tubes are already being put into her arms and she feels not much of anything at all.

She wants Steve.

She wants him here, holding her hand, telling her everything is going to be okay. She wants him to tell her about the first moments after Sarah is born. She wants him to see her first breath and to tell her about every moment of it, not a doctor or a nurse.

“Save my girl,” she whispers to no one. “Save her.”

-;

“Darcy? Darcy, can you hear me?”

Total exhaustion is telling her to stay down, to ignore the soft voice trying to pull her back to consciousness.

But her heart begins to cry.

Darcy’s eyes fly open and she almost sits up, looking around wildly to see Jane standing beside her bed, a small bundle in her arms.

“ _Jane...”_

Jane grins, walking the few steps to her bed. “How are you feeling?”

Darcy doesn’t answer, eyes feasting on her baby. _Her_ baby. Oh, that doesn’t sound real.

“At the moment, like I could walk on air,” she whispers. She holds out her hands and Jane gently eases the baby into her arms. “Is she okay?”

“She’s perfect. Becker got her out just in time.”

Jane rattles off a list of scientific terms that Darcy does not listen too. She gently brushes her finger across her daughter’s lip and the baby grabs on and begins to suck. Someone’s hungry already.

“What do you think?” Jane asks.

Darcy’s eyes flicker up to her friend’s face. “About what?”

Chuckling, Jane nods. “About all of this,” she supplies and Darcy snorts. “You said you had a name but you wouldn’t tell me.”

“Oh, uh...” Darcy licks her dry lips. “Sarah.”

Jane blinks in surprise but doesn’t say anything, perching on the edge of the bed beside her. Sarah opens her tiny mouth and lets out the sweetest of noises. Tears burn behind Darcy’s eyes and she leans in, pressing her lips to Sarah’s soft forehead.

“You’re going to get through this, Darce,” Jane whispers, her temple resting against Darcy’s cheek. “You’re going to be okay.”

“I know,” she murmurs. Sarah sighs, releasing Darcy’s finger and settling down to sleep.

_I know I will._

-;

The first scare happens at three months.

Sarah comes down with a massive virus that nearly kills her. She’s in the hospital for nearly three weeks and Darcy doesn’t sleep for the entire time. When a doctor practically threatens to sedate her does she allow Jane and her mother to drag her home.

Sarah walks early, up and moving at eleven months old. After Darcy moved into her own apartment she baby proofed the whole thing early, just to be on the safe side. She was used to that anyway, dealing with scientists that acted like toddlers for so long.

When Sarah takes those first steps, Darcy’s alone. Jane had gone home for the evening and she had finally managed to make her mom go back to Canada after the most recent two week stay Alice had invited herself too. Darcy adored her mother but goodness, she needed a break every once in a while.

Sarah’s pulling on the edge of the rounded coffee table, her tiny face twisted into a look of concentration. Darcy sits up on the sofa, watching intently. After a second, she makes a noise of victory and pulls away from the table, taking two giant steps before careening right to the floor. About a month ago Darcy had installed a very thick plush carpet underneath her coffee table, for reasons just like this.

She climbs off of the sofa and walks around in front of Sarah, kneeling down as her daughter sits back up. “Come on, baby girl! You can do it!”

Sarah laughs, a glorious sound. She waves a chubby arm at her mother and Darcy takes her hand, helping her get to her feet. “A step or two?”

She doesn’t give her two steps. She gives her _six._

_-;_

The next scare happens at three years old.

Darcy’s at the lab with Jane and the new scientist that had recently transferred in, trying to force a pop tart down Jane’s throat.

“Darcy, your phone is ringing.”

She snatches it up off of the table after abandoning the pop tart beside Jane’s left hand. “It’s Sarah’s daycare center,” she says softly. “Hello?”

_“Is this Darcy Lewis?”_

“Yeah, is this Evie?” One of Sarah’s caretakers.

_“Darcy, can you head down to the hospital? We had to call an ambulance for Sarah. She started wheezing during playtime.”_

Wheezing. Oh god.

At the hospital, another pediatrician tells her that he wants to test Sarah for childhood asthma.

“Does asthma run in your family, Ms. Lewis?”

Darcy shakes her head. “No.”

-;

Life happens. Again and again and again it happens and there’s nothing Darcy can do to stop it. She’s living a nice secluded life now with her daughter and best friend in Portland, Maine. She doesn’t watch the news and she calls her mother once a week. She also waits for the next thing to happen to rock her simple life and turn it upside down.

It comes in the form of her mother on the evening of Sarah’s fifth birthday.

“I don’t...understand.”

Alice watches her, her lined face drawn with guilt as she waits for the inevitable blow out that is sure to come.

Darcy doesn’t really feel the need to yell. She’s too tired to yell. Sarah had a minor attack that morning, nothing serious though. A few puffs from her inhaler eased her tiny lungs but it was enough to set Darcy on edge for the rest of the evening.

And now, that edge is right there underneath her toes.

“Charlie Lewis was not my father,” Darcy says, staring at the folder in front of her.

Alice shakes her head. “Not biologically, no.”

Darcy glimpses the shame on her mother’s face and wonders with horror, who her real father could possibly be.

“Who is he?” she whispers. She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “ _Mom_. Who is he?”

When her mother says the name, Darcy’s sure she heard wrong. There is no way...

“Howard Stark?” she repeats, almost laughing. “Mom –“

Even as she attempts to laugh it off, she knows that her mother would never lie to her about something like this.

“I don’t understand...”

Alice bites her lip, staring at a crack in the coffee table for a few moments. “It was 1985 when I started working as a secretary at Stark Industries...”

Simple. Almost too simple. Darcy was the product of a one night stand between her mother and the then sixty year old billionaire. “When I found out you were on the way, I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified. Not just of being a mother but also that Howard would accuse me of going after his money.”

“Did he know?” Darcy asks. She realizes her voice is shaking.

Alice nods. “I told him while I was handing in my resignation. He didn’t say much of anything and I realized then it was a dismissal.”

“A dismissal?” Darcy repeats.

“I left then and moved to Canada. I met Charlie and –“

Darcy interrupts. “Did Dad know? Please tell me that he –“

“He did,” Alice confirms and Darcy’s rapidly beating heart begins to slow. “He loved you. He wasn’t going anywhere.”

“Why didn’t you – why didn’t you tell me?”

“How exactly do you tell your child something like that?” Alice wonders. Darcy isn’t sure if Alice is actually asking her that question. “I never planned too,” she admits shamefully. “The times you told me that Jane was working with Howard’s son –“

“My brother,” Darcy whispers. “Iron Man.” She lets out a small giggle that sounded a little wild. “Iron Man is my brother.”

Alice nods. “Yeah he is.”

She’d looked right at her brother on the news so many times and never knew. “Does he know?”

Alice’s silence is enough.

“Sarah is almost five. She has more family out there. It was because of her that I am telling you this.”

Darcy swallows, pained. What was she going to do with this? Especially now?

“Go to New York. Meet him. I’m sure he will request a DNA test. But once that’s over, if he is willing, get to know him. Introduce him to his niece.”

She wonders how the hell she is supposed to do that.

A small longing begins to take root in her stomach. To have more family would be fantastic but all she had ever needed were the people she surrounded herself with. But _still_...her curiosity will eventually get the better of her.

_Tony reminded me a lot of you. You even have the same chin._

-;

“I cannot believe you’re going to do this.”

Darcy glances down at the half packed suitcase on her bed. “I’ve followed you into storms Jane. I think this is will be a cakewalk.”

Jane folds her arms in front of her chest, fixing Darcy with a long look. “I cannot believe that Tony Stark is your half brother. I thought the two of you seemed alike but I never even considered –“

Darcy chuckles. “Stranger things have happened. Being the half sister of Iron Man will be nothing compared to the stuff we’ve seen.”

“How are you going to do this? There’s a huge chance they’re going to think you’re nuts and have you arrested.”

Darcy bites her lip, eyes on the manila folder that her mother had given her resting on top of her clothes in the case. “I have no idea. Jump in with both feet and hope for the best I guess. Just...stay by the phone just in case I need you to come bail me out.”

Jane snorts, reaching over and wrapping her arms around Darcy. Darcy hugs her back, gently patting her shoulder as she pulls away. “Wish me luck.”

Sarah hugs her so tightly that Darcy is sure she is going to choke. “Why can’t I come with you?”

Darcy smiles, softly brushing the blond curls off of her forehead. “Maybe next time. I will bring you a present from the city, okay?” Sarah nods happily, sated with that answer. “If Mommy doesn’t get arrested,” Darcy adds under her breath.

Jane scoops a laughing Sarah up, giving Darcy enough time to scoot out the door without Sarah getting upset again. The cab is waiting for her outside the apartment building and the cabbie is silent as she clampers into the back.

“Portland International,” she says once her belt is buckled.

The cabbie grunts in answer and Darcy sighs, sinking back into the seat. She’s got a hell of a couple of days ahead of her.

Little does she know that her future truly waits for her in New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Steve and Darcy see each other again for the first time in five years. Stay tuned!


	5. Brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: I am BLOWN AWAY by the feedback on the last chapter. Thank you all so much and please keep it up! Definitely gets the next chapter up faster. By the way, I know DNA tests take days to get results but for this let’s just say they only take twenty four hours.

“Are you Darcy Lewis?”

Darcy freezes in her steps, wondering if she should run. She hadn’t been able to bring her taser with her on the plane and right now she is wishing she had just driven. She felt naked without the weapon.

She turns slowly to see a suited man standing there, rounded in appearance with a pretty non dangerous look on his face. “Who’s asking?”

“Oh sorry! I’m Happy Hogan, I’m Mr. Stark’s and Ms. Potts’ chauffeur. Ms. Potts said to come down here and bring you right up.”

“Bring me up?” Darcy repeats, absolutely flabberghasted. And then...

_Jane._

Once Darcy produces her ID and Happy scans her with the metal detector, he fixes her with a visitor tag. She hooks it onto the front of her jacket and then he leads her onto the elevator. “Friday, top floor.”

Darcy jumps slightly when an automatic voice with an Irish accent replies out of nowhere. “ _Right away!”_

The elevator takes off with the speed of light and within minutes, they open to the top floor. Happy holds out a hand, directing her down a short hallway. When he knocks on a door, a soft voice bids him entrance.

“Ms. Potts, Darcy Lewis is here to see you.”

The voice is quieter and Darcy cannot quite hear what it says when Happy steps aside to let her into the office. She’s momentarily blown away by the size of the room, everything cloaked in white and a few off black items. The office was _stylish._ But nothing Darcy could really find herself getting excited about.

Pepper Potts is just how Jane described her. Tall, blond, Amazonian, and _scary._ Once Happy leaves, Darcy suddenly loses control of her thoughts and stutters a few times before finding her voice.

“Dr. Foster said that she is ill at the moment and that’s why she couldn’t come with you,” Pepper says. Darcy is completely confused. “She said you had files of her next project to show me?”

“Uh...” The folder in her bag feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. Jane had gotten her in the door with this ruse, she might as well go for it. “Yes, here.”

Pepper takes the folder and sits down, flipping through the first two pages without really looking at them. When her gaze settles, Darcy sees the woman’s shoulders stiffen. Her own back straightens like a rod and she waits.

“What is this?” Pepper asks at last. “Is this a joke?”

Darcy shakes her head. “Not at all, ma’am.” Pepper winces at the term. “You can call all the numbers on those papers, you will see that it’s all legit. And I want to assure you that I don’t want a thing from Mr. Stark. I just felt that he should know.”

“I will check this out,” Pepper says. She meets Darcy’s eyes with a weary sigh. “You’re lucky I don’t have you escorted out. Dr. Foster got you in here under false pretenses and I should –“

“No, please. Don’t let this fall on Janey –“

“Janey?” Pepper repeats.

Darcy winces. “Dr. Foster,” she says. “Please, she was just trying to help me.”

“By attempting to defraud Mr. Stark?” Pepper replies, her tone dripping with ice.

Darcy feels a hot sliver of anger that she pushes down before her large mouth can get her into trouble. “I will go now. I have a hotel room reserved.” She reaches for the folder and Pepper snatches it away.

“Wait --!” Pepper sighs, rubbing her fingers to her temples. “I apologize Ms. Lewis. I know this might have some truth to it. I enjoyed meeting Dr. Foster last year at the Morgan Exhibit in London and Tony – er, Mr. Stark always spoke highly of her. I will investigate this and give you a call later tonight.”

“I beg your pardon but – I have a daughter I need to get back too,” Darcy says. “If you are going to throw those out, just tell me so I can go home.”

“Daughter?” Pepper’s eyes narrow and Darcy suddenly feels like she is underneath a microscope. “Tony has a –“

“Niece,” she whispers.

The blonde’s hand reaches out for the landline phone beside her on the desk, still not tearing her gaze away from Darcy. “How old is she?” Pepper asks as she brings the phone to her ear.

“She’s going to be six soon.”

When the person on the other end of the phone line picks up, Darcy at first thinks Pepper is talking to her. She retakes her seat and perches on the edge of it, her knees suddenly knocking together in anxiety. Pepper’s on the phone for so long that Darcy begins to tune out and her mind wanders.

“...okay, I’ll see you soon.” Pepper’s voice is softer than she had been moments before and when Darcy looks up, she sees the other woman smiling into the phone. The smile drops as soon as the phone returns to the receiver. “I believe you.”

“You do?”

Well that wasn’t what she was expecting.

Pepper nods. “This is all checking out,” she says slowly. “If the blood test comes back negative then –“

“It won’t,” Darcy says after a long moment. A beat later the door to the office flies open and in charges Tony Stark.

“Hey Dr. Pepper.” Pepper rolls her eyes, motioning to the seat beside Darcy. “Oh, is this Foster’s intern?”

“Yeah. Tony, this is Darcy Lewis.”

Darcy almost chokes as Tony sticks his hand out, the other holding what seems to be a capped glass full of green sludge. “Hiya. Kale shake?”

“Uh, maybe later.”

“So, what’s the project Foster has for us?” Tony asks. “I’ve been bugging that woman to come and work for me, maybe this is a step –“

“Wait a minute,” Darcy suddenly bursts out. “You’ve offered Jane a _job_ here?”

Tony stares at her for a second. “Uh, yeah? She didn’t tell her lab monkey?”

Darcy scowls, folding her arms in front of her chest. “ _No,_ she did not tell her lab monkey.” So that’s how Jane got her in the door.

“Hmm weird. What’s the project?”

“Well actually, Tony, there is no project,” Pepper says. Tony cocks his head to the side, glancing back and forth between them.

“What’s the joke?”

“No joke,” Darcy says. “Uh –“

“I called Helen Cho. She’s set up some time for you and Darcy to do a blood test this afternoon.”

“A blood test?” Tony repeats. “For what? You’re too old for me to be your father.”

Darcy frowns. “I’m 22 and a half, thank you very much,” she lies. Ugh she just had her 32nd birthday and she isn’t too keen to keep counting.  

Tony snorts. “Sure.”

“Not a paternity test, Tony,” Pepper interrupts. “Um, there’s a high chance Darcy may be your half sister.”

Both women manage to duck in time as Tony spits kale all over the desk. Some drops of the gooey liquid smack Darcy in the face and Pepper on the chest of her crisp white suit. He coughs once, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “ _Bullshit.”_

“Tony –“

“ _No.”_

“You have to admit that it is a reasonable thing. Your dad wasn’t –“

“My father was a lot of things but a cheater wasn’t one of them.” He turns to Darcy. “Ms. Lewis, you know the way out?”  He heads for the door.

“You have a niece, Tony.” It takes Darcy a second to realize it was her that said the words.

Tony freezes at the door, turning slightly on his heel to look at her, longing reflected back in his eyes.

“Her name is Sarah. She’s turning six soon. And she has our chin,” Darcy adds, fingering the tip of her own. “And our ability to wiggle our way out of anything.”

“I do not _wiggle –“_

“You do, Tony,” Pepper confirms, her lips stretched into a smile.

Tony’s shoulders slump in what seems to be defeat. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Darcy asks.

“Okay.”

-;

“I cannot believe you pulled that.”

 _“I cannot believe you!”_ Jane replies with a laugh. “ _And you’re welcome.”_

“The only reason why I didn’t get arrested is because you pulled strings like a puppet master. By the way, what’s this about Stark offering you a job to work here?”

She hears Jane gasps slightly. _“Uh, I’m coming, Sarah!”_

“Sarah’s not calling you,” Darcy says, chuckling. “Now ‘fess up, boss. Why didn’t you tell me about the job offer?”

Jane grumbles a little into the phone. _“Because I wasn’t ready to be around that facility. I wasn’t ready to...well run into him.”_

“Oh. _Oh._ Sorry.”

_“That’s okay. You wanna talk to Sarah?”_

“Please.”

A moment later, Darcy’s eyes fall closed at the sound of her daughter’s voice. “ _Hi Mommy!”_

Tears startle her. “Hi baby girl. Are you giving aunt Jane a hard time?”

_“No Mommy!”_

“What did she make you for dinner?”

 _“Poptarts!”_ Darcy hears a grunt in the background. _(“Tell the truth, young lady!”)_ Sarah giggles. “ _Mashed potatoes and meatloaf.”_

“I think that’s the only thing food like that aunt Jane can make.” Sarah laughs again in reply. After chatting with Sarah for a few more minutes, the little girl begins to softly yawn. “Uh-oh, sounds like bedtime.”

Sarah moans but doesn’t argue. “ _Bye Mommy, I love you.”_

“I love you too, baby.”

A tear slips from Darcy’s eye, falling down the side of her face. She doesn’t bother to wipe it away as the line disconnects, the last sounds of Jane’s fussing over Sarah greeting her ears. Once her phone is replaced back in her coat pocket, Darcy breathes deeply, fighting back the new tears that are forming.

This is a lot harder than she thought it would be.

-;

“Well I’m not sure if this is good news or bad.”

Tony doesn’t for Helen to even finish before snatching the report out of her hand. Darcy waits, breath bated for some reason. She knows that the test is going to be –

“Positive.”

She lets out that breath, slumping against the back of her chair. Pepper flashes her a smile, going to Tony’s side to glance over his shoulder but the older Stark is looking at her.

“We’re siblings,” he says, voice softer than Darcy expects.

Darcy swallows, getting to her feet. “Well now that that’s settled –“

“Wait. Where are you going?”

“I assumed that once this was over –“

Tony shakes his head. “You cannot just drop in with this and then drop out.” He beckons for her to come near. “We’re going to shoot the bull and you can tell me about you.”

Darcy raises a brow. “You sure?”

She expects a smart ass remark. It never comes. “Yeah. _Please.”_

Ten minutes later, they’re up at the penthouse Tony shares with Pepper. “Drink?”

Darcy looks up from a framed photograph of Pepper mugging for the camera beside one of Tony’s many suits. “Uh coffee is the only thing I tolerate now.”

Tony smirks, moving into the connecting kitchen. Darcy follows, hanging by the doorway. “Because of the kid?”

She nods. “She keeps me running.”

“How old is she again?”

“Turning six on September 12th,” Darcy replies. Tony whistles. “I swear it was yesterday I was holding her for the first time.”

“I’m sure,” Tony says. He plucks the coffee pot up and pours her a cup. “Uh, shit this is awkward.”

Darcy snickers nervously. “Damn you can say that again.” Her eyes narrow. “We really do have the same chin.”

Tony throws back his head and laughs.

-;

“And then my mom starts yelling in French! My date thought she was putting a curse on him, I’d never seen someone run so fast.”

She’s high on caffeine and cannot seem to stop talking. Tony isn’t too far behind her, his coffee obviously Irish. “I was only caught sneaking out once. Never did it again. Didn’t really become a man-whore until college.”

“Did, uh, Howard catch you?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Jarvis. He didn’t hit me or anything, he just gave me that long talk and every time I saw him for three days after that he would fix me with the –“

“Disappointed Dad look?” Darcy supplies.

“Yep.”

Darcy stares down into the bottom of her mug. “You don’t have to answer this but –“

“What was Dad like?”

“ _Yeah.”_

Tony sucks in a gulp of air. “What do you know about him?”

“Just what I learned off of wikipedia,” Darcy answers truthfully. “He started this whole company, worked with Captain America in the war, and was a high class inventor. That’s about it.”

“Darcy, if you are asking if he was a good dad, I cannot tell you that.”

Darcy winces. “My mom said that when she told him I was on the way he _dismissed_ her. So I’m not surprised.”

“You had a dad, right?”

“Yeah. Charlie Lewis. We lost him when I was fifteen.”

“But he was your dad, right?” At Darcy’s confused look, Tony hastens to explain. “Those fifteen years you had him, did he show up at your first, I don’t know, recitals, and give you flowers? Did he make sure to bug you about your birthdays and threaten your first date?”

She nods. “Yeah. Well it was my mom doing the threatening of the dates but yeah.”

“You share DNA with Howard. But he wasn’t your father. You got lucky, kid.”

Darcy almost flinches at the bluntness of the words. She picks up her now empty cup and climbs off of the sofa. “So, I hear you are a seventies and eighties rock fan?”

He gratefully leaps onto that and a few minutes later, the walls are almost throbbing from the bass of Pearl Jam music. Darcy digs out her old iPod from the bottom of her bag and Tony produces a charger for her to plug it into the stereo. When her phone tumbles from her bag, Tony picks it up. “Is this her?”

Sarah’s face grins back at her from the screen. “Yeah that’s her.”

“Damn, she’s a beauty.” Tony smiles at the image for a second and passes the phone back to her. “She staying with her dad?”

Darcy bites her lip. “Actually, her dad isn’t around. He left before she was born. Before I even knew she was on the way in fact.”

“Son of a bitch.” Darcy smirks a little at the look on Tony’s face. Was that brotherly anger she was seeing? “I’d like to meet her? I mean, if that’s okay?”

“Absolutely. Just don’t –“ She raises a finger. “Don’t spoil her.”

Tony lifts a brow. “Are you kidding?”

Darcy snorts. “She’s gonna adore you. I’m warning you right now, she smells her prey. As soon as she realizes she can manipulate you –“

“I’ll probably end up giving her the whole building or something,” Tony laughs. “No problem there.”

Darcy glances at the clock. “Jesus, it’s nearly midnight. I need to get a cab and go back to my hotel.”

“Uh-uh,” Tony’s voice stops her as she gets to her feet.

“Uh-uh?”

“I’ll get you set up here for the night and then you can get your stuff in the morning.” Tony’s watching her with such an expression that reminds her of a damn Labrador puppy that she cannot bear to say no to. “And then call Foster and tell her to get the kid and get her butt on a plane. Insta family, I’d like to get to know them.”

Darcy places her hands on her hips. “Dude, as much as I appreciate the gesture, the tossing of money in my direction won’t work.” She stops, considering, “ _Much_.”

Tony rolls his eyes. “Come on, I’ll show you to your apartment.”

They nearly run into Pepper walking back out. Darcy waits a few paces down the hall as the couple says their goodnights, Tony’s promise to return to soon. Darcy feels an ache in her chest at the tender words, and turns away.

There’s movement down at the end of the corridor leading to the elevators. Darcy cannot help her inner nosey kicking back in and she follows a bit, catching a glimpse of two men. Both are tall, but quite opposite in looks. The one with skin the color of chocolate is telling the blond man some joke, laughing too hard at it himself that Darcy cannot hear the other man’s answer.

Leaning her shoulder against the wall, Darcy watches the elevator doors open and the two men step on, turning to face her where she stands.

The whole world begins to move and shake, turning upside down once again.

“Steve?”

Steve’s hand shoots out and stops the doors from closing, his face wearing an expression that she’s sure is quite similar to hers.

It’s him. Oh god, it’s _him_.

He’s clean shaven, a little burlier than she remembered, and his once longish floppy hair is cut short. He reminds her of someone, a picture of a someone who she had seen in a book, a long, long time ago.

“D-Darcy?” He gets off the elevator and starts walking towards her, his companion trailing behind. “I c-can’t believe...”

And she explodes.

“What the _fuck_ , Steve?!” Tony and Pepper come running at her outburst. “What the fuck are you doing here? Where have you been the last five years you asshole!” She meets him right in the middle and slams her hands right into his stupidly hard chest.

“Whoa, little terminator!” Steve’s companion has quickly caught up and eases in front of him, a stance of protection. “Why are you beating up the Cap?”

Steve’s face turns an unsightly shade of purple and Darcy’s sure she’s about to puke.

It all makes sense. Why didn’t she see it before?

“Wait a minute? The dickhead that dumped you was _him?”_ Tony says. At Darcy’s nod he growls, “You’re fired, Rogers.”

“What? You can’t fire me! Darcy, please if we could just –“

“No!” Darcy turns back to her brother. “Thank you for the offer but I will be at my hotel tonight.”

She ignores the cries of her name as she manages to get to the elevators, the doors shutting before anyone can join her.

_“Ms. Lewis?”_

Darcy jumps, looking around. “Yeah?”

“ _Ms. Lewis, the boss has Mr. Hogan waiting for you down in the lobby. He’ll take you to your hotel and escort you in so you will be safe.”_

“Thanks Friday.”

_“No problem.”_

She sinks down against the wall of the elevator, fighting the new sob that is rising in her chest.

He’s not supposed to be here. This is her new chapter. This is Sarah’s new chapter.

He is not supposed to be _here._

Happy is waiting for her on the ground floor. The Darcy he sees is one that’s composed, no trace of tears or anger on her face. A Darcy that has her shit together and hasn’t just had her whole life flipped over on its head once again.

“You ready, Ms. Lewis?” The sweet faced man asks, extending his arm to her.

She hesitates for just a moment before taking it. “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Steve, you got some ‘splaining to do! 
> 
> Maybe an update on Christmas eve? Thank you all so so much for the feedback. Please keep it coming!


	6. Steve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Please keep up all the wonderful feedback! Thank you so much! 
> 
> Oh by the way, I will be putting together a playlist for this fic, so keep an eyeball out for the link.

.

.

Darcy’s stuffing clothes back into her suitcase when she hears the roar of the motorcycle outside.

A moment later, the expectant knock comes at her door. Darcy zips her suitcase up, lifting it up to place on the floor beside the bed before she walks over to the door. Her hand trembles as she reaches for the doorknob, knowing quite well who is standing on the other side of it.

“Hi.”

Why is he still so damn _hot?_ Darcy eyeballs the man that broke her heart six years ago. He also looks like he hasn’t slept in about a month. Heavy circles line his eyes and he wears the same mask of exhaustion she’s sure she has on. “Hi,” he breathes. “Can I come in?”

He expects her to rage at him, she can see that.

She’s tired. Too tired.

She’s raged enough.

Stepping back, she allows Steve to pass her into the room. He glimpses the suitcase beside the bed, turning on his heel to face her. “I didn’t know.”

Darcy folds her arms in front of her chest, forming a protective shield around herself. “I figured that.”

He closes his eyes, running a hand through his shorn hair. She misses the long locks. “I owe you...so much.”

“You sure do,” Darcy agrees, her voice gentler than she thought she could ever give him. “You’re not supposed to be _here,_ Steve.”

“And neither are you,” he returns delicately. “Why _are_ you here?”

“Stark didn’t tell you?”

Steve shakes his head. “He just told me to fuck off. Pepper was the one who told me where you were.”

Darcy feels a hot swoop of gratitude for her new found brother. “Chasing a lead that turned out to be correct.” Steve blinks, waiting. “But you go first.”

“Darce –“

“ _Steve._ You owe me this.” 

He sighs, shifting on the balls of his feet for a moment before he goes to sit on the edge of the bed. Darcy moves to sit beside him, keeping a good distance between themselves. “Go ahead.” She feels him stiffen, expecting the excuse that never comes.

“I’m Captain America.”

“Yeah, that much I got figured out,” Darcy returns icily.

The tips of his ears flush red. “How much do you know about Hydra?”

“Enough to know that they’re a bunch of fascists that just won’t go away. Why?”

And so he tells her. He tells her everything and when he’s done, Darcy wishes she had just run away and never come back. Sickness crawls into her stomach as Steve recounts the final moments of Roy Danford’s life and the events that followed.

“Only Natasha Romanoff knew about you at that time. She told me to say goodbye but I knew if I saw you one last time, I wouldn’t be able to leave.”

Darcy flinches. “Then why did you?”

There’s no venom in her voice now. Just pain. A deep stinging open wound that had the band aid ripped off the moment that she laid eyes on him in the hallway.

When he shakes his head, his face is twisted with a raw grief at the time lost. “I couldn’t put you in danger, Darcy. You were so _good_ and I couldn’t bear to mess that up. I thought...I thought I could live in that life with you but –“

“You’re always a soldier,” Darcy finishes numbly. She thinks about Sarah. “Do you think the war could ever be over for you?” Steve’s silence is enough. Darcy rises to her feet, brushing her hands off on her denim clad legs. “Wait a minute – did you have someone watching me after you left?”

“For a little while,” Steve says and a flare of anger slides up Darcy’s spine. “Natasha and Clint Barton both watched you and Jane for about six weeks to look for any danger but there was none. I told them to stop, to leave you be.”

 _He doesn’t know_ , Darcy thinks. She didn’t start showing her pregnancy until the six month.

“What...what did you do with the store?”

Her stomach rolls over at the shine of hope in his eyes. “I sold it.” She shouldn’t feel this cruel satisfaction when hurt flashes across Steve’s face. “To this older couple in their seventies. They turned it into a flower shop and kept Glenn on as a delivery boy.”

“Oh.”

She sits down again when she realizes her knees are starting to tremble. She doesn’t know why she stood up in the first place. “What happened?” she asks then, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. “Why did you quit being Captain America in the first place?”

He doesn’t answer her for a long time. “We were on this mission that had hostages. A lot of hostages. And some of them were children.”

Nausea sweeps over Darcy. She covers her mouth with her hand, biting the inside of her cheek.

“We didn’t get there fast enough.”

Blood pools in her mouth, painting her tongue with a coppery tang.

Now it’s her turn. “Oh.”

“After that happened, the Avenger disbanded for about six months. That’s when I left. I couldn’t...I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t save anybody. I wasn’t able to save children so –“

“Why bother anymore?” Darcy finishes shakily and Steve nods.

“Yeah.” He shifts his legs, crossing his ankles. “I let Natasha keep an eye on me but no one else.”

“Is that how she knew me at that art show?”

Steve nods. “I didn’t know she’d be there. I’m sorry.”

“As long as she wasn’t creepily watching me too, I forgive you for that,” she adds, a flicker of a smile on her lips. “Steve...”

“No, _don’t._ Don’t forgive me. Don’t try too,” he interrupts, startling her into silence. “I don’t deserve it.”

Darcy nods. “Okay.” Stupid thing to say but what else does she have _to_ say?

“So, uh, are you okay? What are you doing here in New York?”

And she tells him. By the end of little monologue, Steve’s mouth is hanging open. Darcy chuckles, reaching over to gently tap her finger underneath his chin. “Soldiers don’t gape.”

“Uh, _wow._ Wow. That is not what I was expecting,” he says with a tired chuckle. “Are you all right with all of this?”

“I was planning on going home after the blood test but Stark seems insistent on me sticking around for a while. Apparently, he’s been trying to get Jane to work for him and Banner so maybe I can work some of my magic there,” Darcy laughs. “See? I can handle this.”

His ears flush red. “I know.”

“Can we be in the same building together for a few days?” she asks.

“I don’t see why not.” The corner of his mouth turns up in one of those old playful smiles that she misses so much. “Do I need to watch my back?”

“From Jane when she gets here,” Darcy admits.

She’s not angry anymore. She wishes she could be though. Growing up Darcy had the talent to hold onto a grudge for _years,_ but as an adult...as a _mother..._

She looks at the father of her child with a softness that she hasn’t felt since the last time he held her in his arms.

“I’m gonna go,” Steve gets to his feet. “Let you get some sleep.”

Darcy nods, resting her elbows on her knees. She should let him walk out the door and never utter a word.

But... _but..._

Sarah has his eyes.

“Steve, you have a daughter.”

His hand stills on the doorknob, back to her. Darcy watches the muscles tighten in his shoulders, booted toe pivoting in the ugly green carpet. When he finally looks back at her, she sees the shock and the alarm, mixed with something else she cannot quite put her finger on.

Darcy reaches over to the nightstand and plucks her phone up, swiping her thumb across the screen to the last picture she had taken of Sarah about three days ago. Steve’s staring at her like she’d sprouted horns, eyes wide and she puts the phone into his hand. “Her name is Sarah. She’s turning six on the twelfth of next month.”

Steve doesn’t say anything for the longest time. He clutches the phone like a lifeline, gaze feasting on the image of their child. When Darcy notices his knees beginning to shake, she directs him back to the bed and practically has to push him in the shoulder to sit. “Are you okay?”

He nods wordlessly, bottom lip trembling. Darcy gently places a hand on his elbow, smiling softly. “She’s pretty neat, isn’t she?”

“She’s...perfect.”

Darcy grins. “You’re damn right.”

“Is she – I mean, is she okay?” He finally asks.

“Yeah, Steve,” Darcy confirms gently. “She’s good. She’s a happy kid, she has her aunt Jane wrapped around her little finger. She does have pretty severe asthma though, which makes sense now as to where she got it from,” she adds with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Steve makes a small noise and looks up, his face is painted with guilt. With a pang, Darcy thinks about the few things she had read about Captain America back in school. Severe asthma that nearly incapacitated him several times was something that plagued him in his pre-serum years. Yeah, it all makes sense now.

“Don’t worry though,” she quickly says. “She has an inhaler and she’s on medication to control it. She’s _fine._ Her pediatrician says she is going to grow out of it so please, don’t worry.”

He nods and for some reason, Darcy leans her chin on the crook of his shoulder. “You can keep swiping,” she nods to the phone. “Most of my pictures are of her.”

The next is of Jane actually, and Darcy laughs. Her friend is making a irritated face at the camera, textbooks and papers spread out in front of her on the table she is seated at. The next is Sarah, one Darcy took when she was very small. Sarah is pulling herself up on the coffee table, trying her very best to make a point. Darcy’s breath quickens a short video of Sarah toddling comes on next.

_“Sarah, look at Mommy! Look at Mommy Sarah!”_

Her own voice startles them both, and it’s followed by Sarah’s toothless giggling. When she looks at Steve, she sees tears beginning to make their way down his face and trip off his chin. “I missed it.”

“You can be here now,” she murmurs.

He turns wild eyes on her, eyes that are filled with a sadness that she wants to fight. She would have fought the world for this man.

“Darcy...”

“Listen,” she touches his hand. “I have a suspicion that Tony is going to bug me to move to the tower so we can get to know each other and he can get started on spoiling Sarah. And if it’s a matter of safety, where else can I _be_ safer? Especially surrounded by superheroes. Come on, that’s every girl’s dream,” she adds with a smirk. “Sarah can get to know her uncle...and her dad.”

When he looks at her, she sees a beautiful hope. And that’s all she can ask for.

-;

The Avengers get called out minutes before Jane and Sarah’s plane is supposed to land.

“It’s a low level threat,” Tony assures her as he slaps some buttons on his desk. Darcy watches as images rise up from the desk and take shape in the air. “We’ll be gone a few hours, tops.”

 _Where has she heard that before,_ Darcy muses. The footage is of some strange looking green fellow that seems to hate taxi cabs and is juggling them down in Harlem. “Oh my god, get the mucus head.”

Tony snorts, pushing the holograph back down. “By the way, your apartment’s ready. I had stuff sent in for the kid as well.” He tosses her a small plastic card that has the Stark emblem on the side. A company credit card. “You have full access to Friday, she’ll tell you what’s going on and give you the time frame of when Foster’s plane will land at JFK. Queens is still up and running and Happy’s already heading out to pick them up.”

“Wow, you got everything covered, huh?”

Tony scoops up what looks to be a red colored watch and wraps it around his wrist. “I’m Iron Man. It’s my job.” And then he’s gone with a hurried, “See you soon!”

Darcy looks around the now empty office, feeling quite out of place. “Uh Friday?”

_“Yes Ms. Lewis?”_

“What floor is my new apartment on?”

_“One floor down, Ms. Lewis.”_

She doesn’t bother with the elevator and takes the stairs instead. When she places her hand on the doorknob, the door swings open on its own.. “Friday, please tell me that was you.”

_“It was I, Ms. Lewis.”_

Darcy steps through, eyes widening in shock at what is before her. “So my whole apartment could fit into the kitchen,” she says out loud. The AI chuckles but doesn’t say anything else.

The kitchen counters gleam. The stainless steel fridge is pristine and she can tell now that it’s going to be covered in fingerprints within a day of Sarah being here. The cupboards are already stocked with food and there’s a note stuck to the window frame behind the sink.

_Let me know if there’s any allergies, I’ll have what you need changed out.  
-the brother_

Darcy smiles, pocketing the note.

The bedrooms are bare except for two queen sized beds and neutral colored chairs in the corner. There’s another note stuck to the closet door.

_Use your card to get whatever you need. It’s on me.  
-the brother. _

“Holy shit. This is just...”

 _“Too much?”_ Friday supplies and Darcy nods.

“You said it.”

 _“Your daughter’s room is right through that door.”_ Darcy looks around and sees another white door on the other side of the room. Through the door, it’s an explosion of pink. The child’s bed is pink, the bedspread, the stuffed animals – everything is _pink._

Sarah hates pink.

The final note makes her laugh.

_Please tell me she likes pink._

“No, no, she does not.”

_“Ms. Lewis, Happy Hogan has arrived with Dr. Foster and your daughter. They are in the elevators on route to this floor.”_

Darcy lets out a happy squeal and practically runs out the door. The elevator doors are opening when she gets out in the corridor and Darcy hears a happy squeal. _“Mommy!”_

She hits the floor as Sarah catapults herself into her arms. “Oh baby, I missed you!”

Sarah squeezes her tightly around the neck, nuzzling her cheek with hers. “You too, Mommy.”

“Ms. Lewis you have a charming child.” Darcy looks up to see Pepper stepping off the elevator, a grinning Happy beside her. “She is absolutely adorable.”

The tips of Sarah’s ears turn red. “You’re neat too, Mrs. Potts.”

Darcy snorts. “It’s _Ms,_ honey. She’s not a singing teapot.”

“No that’s okay. You can call me Pepper, Sarah.”

Her daughter absolutely beams. “I like your name! Yours too, Mr. Happy!”

Happy blushes at the acknowledgement. “Ms. Potts, why don’t we let them have some time alone?”

Pepper waves goodbye and follows Happy back onto the elevator, the doors swallowing them back up.

Darcy gets to her feet, Sarah still clinging to her arm. “What do you think of all of this?”

Jane shrugs. “It’s your life now.”

“Your life too?” Darcy adds. “You should totes take the job here.”

The brunette chuckles fondly. “I should have figured you’d start in on the nagging right away.”

“You got it!” Darcy wraps her arm around Jane in a clumsy half hug. Sarah’s too busy looking around at her new surroundings to pay much attention to what they are saying. “Come on, let’s get settled.”

-;

“It’s okay child, you can say it.”

Sarah shoots her mother a guilty glance. “I hate pink.”

She was right about the bedroom. How to tell her brother this without hurting his feelings is going to be a feat within itself. Maybe she should just turn Sarah on him and let her flash her award winning dimples. That could work.

Jane makes a gagging sound. “What was he thinking?”

“It’s the gender norm thing that men have pounded into their heads. Pink for girls, blue for boys,” Darcy shrugs. “I’ll worry about this later, we should get dinner.”  

Sarah wriggles her hand out of her mother’s grip and runs out of the room, Darcy and Jane following. “Mommy, can I go exploring?”

“In the apartment!” Darcy calls back. She hears Sarah’s footsteps clatter away.

“ _Shall I lock the doors, Ms. Lewis?”_

“Thanks Friday!”

Jane shivers. “It’s going to take me a while to get used to the AI. Stark used her in front of me that one year in London without telling me and I about jumped out of my skin when his watch started talking to him.”

Darcy snorts in laughter. “You never told me that!”

“Listen Darce, you are going to have your hands full having Tony Stark as your brother,” Jane says, raising a hand. “Better prepare yourself. Sarah acts more mature than he does sometimes.”

“Says the woman who lived on poptarts for the two weeks I visited my mother in Canada.”

They prepare dinner together, sliced chicken and salad. Sarah picks at her tomatoes, wrinkling her nose when Darcy attempts to bribe her into eating them. “They’re so... _red._ ”

“What’s wrong with red?”

“I don’t like red.”

Jane raises a brow. “You don’t like much of anything right now, do you?”

Sarah shakes her head and Darcy snorts into her coffee. “Finish what you can, it’s time for bed.”

“Can I sleep in your room tonight?”

“Don’t wanna face the pink? Makes me think of being inside of a hostess snowball.” Sarah’s silent when Darcy looks over at her. “Honey? Are you afraid to sleep alone?” Sarah nods mutely. “Okay kid, you can sleep with me.”

Jane stands up to collect the dishes. “I’m gonna go check out the labs while you get her settled.”

Once Jane disappears out the door, Darcy leads Sarah to her bedroom. “We have a big thing we need to talk about tomorrow.”

Sarah grunts, wrestling her pajama top over her head. “Like what?”

“Well,” Darcy reaches over to adjust the hem of Sarah’s sleep shirt. “Like why we’re here in this tower.”

“Aunt Jane didn’t want to tell me anything,” Sarah says, clampering up onto the bed. “Oh I forgot to brush my teeth!”

Darcy pulls down the covers of the bed once Sarah leaps off and disappears into the connecting bathroom. “Well shorty, we’re going to be here for a while. Do you mind that?”

“What about first grade?” Sarah asks, coming back out of the bathroom.

“You’re going to start that but at a school here in the city.”

The little girl shrugs her shoulders, climbing back into the large bed. “That’s okay Mommy.”

Darcy flops down beside her once the covers are tucked around Sarah’s form. “Are you sure? This is a big change.”

“We’re together. That’s most important. Right?”

The corner of Darcy’s mouth turns up in a smile. “You’re wise beyond your years kid.” Sarah giggles, her laugh interrupted by a yawn. “Sleep time. You want a story?”

Sarah yawns. “Yes please.”

“Once upon a time...” Sarah starts to snore. “Well that didn’t take much.”

Darcy presses her lips to Sarah’s forehead, slowly swinging her legs back off the bed and getting to her feet. After quietly closing the door, she pads back out to the kitchen and starts to load the dishwasher.

“ _Ms. Lewis, there is an altercation going on in medical.”_ Friday’s Irish dialect yanks Darcy out of her thoughts as she closes the door to the dishwasher.

“Altercation? What altercation?”

_“It pertains to Dr. Foster and Captain Rogers.”_

“Shit! _Jane!”_

-;

When she gets to medical, which thank heaven is only one floor down, Darcy sees who she perceives as Clint Barton attempting to hold back an absolutely furious Jane as she slams her tiny fists into Steve’s chest and shoulders.

_“You stupid son of a –!”_

Steve easily blocks her blows but Darcy can see a large bruise already forming on his chin. Darcy feels a leap of pride for her favorite scientist. Yeah, she can still feel a little petty. Sue her.

Jane’s still trying to break free of Clint’s grip and he isn’t having the easiest time keeping her back either. “You leave without a word! You let Darcy think you were dead in a ditch or something and you’re fucking Captain America?!”

“Jane –“

“I ought to send you right out of this world!” Jane screeches. “You left your _child –“_

“Whoa!” Clint’s surprise causes him to accidentally let Jane go. “Cap, you got a kid?” Jane leaps for Steve’s face again and that’s when Darcy intervenes.

“ _Stop it.”_

Steve grabs onto Jane’s wrists, gently pushing her back. “Jane, please –“

Darcy reaches over, ignoring Clint’s gaping face and latches down on Steve’s forearm. “Jane, _stop.”_

“He –“

“I know. And he knows about Sarah. I need him in one piece.”

Jane glowers, her face blotchy with anger, but she does pull back from Steve and push past him to march into medical and slam the glass door behind her with as much force as she can muster. Clint suddenly starts when he sees Darcy and Steve watching him. “Uh, I’m gonna go...elsewhere.” And then he’s gone too.

Darcy looks up into Steve’s face, wincing at the shadowy mark on his chin. “She may be little but she hits hard.” He doesn’t bother attempting a smile. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t gotten up the courage to tell her yet.”

“I get it,” Steve says tiredly. “I deserve every word.”

Darcy winces at the bluntness of his tone. She reaches out, sliding her hand into his. “Come on.”

“Shouldn’t I --?” He gestures to his dirty uniform.

“She’s not gonna care.”

-;

Darcy places a finger to her lips as she pushes the bedroom door open. Sarah’s curled onto her side, snoring softly with the blankets wrapped around her like a burrito. Darcy glances up at Steve and sees his eyes shining with a kind of wonder, the same that she felt when she held Sarah in her arms for the first time.

“Do you want me to wake her up?”

Steve shakes his head, blinking hard. “No. No, let her sleep.” 

Darcy gently touches his hand, gasping when his fingers tighten almost painfully around hers.

And then... _and then..._

“Look at we made, Steve.”

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *clutches chest* Prepare! The angst that is to come -- *falls over* 
> 
> One thing I want to explain is Darcy’s ‘calmness’ about the situation is exhaustion. She’s hurt and heartbroken of course but I feel like she would not really have it on her to beat on Steve. It’s going to take her a long time to forgive him though. Remember, Steve is not trying to be selfish or dumb, he’s human. And he felt like it was the best that Darcy never saw him again so she could be safe. And I felt like that was quite in character for him to do that. And besides, Jane’s got the beating his ass part covered. 
> 
> Reviews will get you a chapter on Christmas eve!


	7. Elephants

 

.

.

“So shorty, we need to have a talk.”

Sarah looks up from her ice cream, a little bit of chocolate goo on the tip of her nose. “What about?”

Darcy had snuck Sarah out of the building early that afternoon and they had wound up in Central Park. Hundreds of people milled about, soaking up the last of summer’s rays. Sarah had eagerly taken in the sights as they strolled, managing to sucker Darcy into an ice cream cone from a nearby stand, despite being eleven in the morning. Hell, the little girl’s life was about to be turned on its head once more. She’s earned more than just an ice cream cone.

“About why we are living here in New York now, baby.”

“ _Are_ we staying?” Sarah asks. Darcy nods. “For good?”

“For the foreseeable future at least,” Darcy replies. “Honey, do you remember when grandma Alice came to see us a few weeks back?”

“Yeah?”

“Your grandma told me something that she had been keeping from me for a very long time. And I understand why she did, it’s not something you just drop on a teenager but hey, I’m about to drop it on you, a six year old, so –“

 _“Mommy!_ You’re babbling.”

Darcy sucked in a breath. “Yeah, yeah I am, aren’t I?” Sarah waits, little hand resting on Darcy’s forearm as the ice cream is forgotten, dripping into a messy puddle by their feet. “Your grandma told me I had a half brother. You have an uncle.”

“I do?”

“Yep. His name is Tony and he is the one that owns the building we are living in right now. He’s also the one that got you all of that pink stuff,” she adds.

Sarah wrinkles her nose. “ _Ew.”_

“Ew is right,” Darcy laughs. “So what do you think?”

Sarah shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t know. It’s weird.”

“Definitely.” Darcy reaches down and pulls a napkin from her bag, passing it to Sarah. “And Tony said he is excited to spend time with you, get to know you, but it’s on your terms, okay? Whenever you’re ready.”

“What...does an uncle do?” Sarah asks suddenly.

Darcy chuckles. “You want the truth?”

“Yes please.”

“Well traditionally, uncles see their nieces and nephews a couple times a year on the holidays and give them gifts.”

“Kind of like Mary Harper’s uncle Joey?” Darcy raises a brow. “He lives in Europe and sends presents for her birthday.”

“Uh, sure? Kind of? But not this uncle of yours.”

Sarah smiles. “Is he nice?”

“Yeah.” A smile of her own crosses Darcy’s lips. “Yeah, shorty, he’s really nice. And he is so excited to meet you and hang out with you.”

Sarah leaps to her feet, the ice cream cone making a grand splat on the ground. “Okay!”

“Okay what?”

“Let’s go see my uncle!”

Darcy manages to grab Sarah’s wrist before she can take off, steering her back into her seat. “Whoa quicksilver, slow down for a second. There are some other things we need to talk about.”

“ _Whyyyyy?”_

 _“Becausssseee,”_ Darcy mimics Sarah’s whine. “Okay, you listening?”

“Yes,” Sarah says sullenly, like Darcy had just popped her favorite balloon.

Darcy places her hands in her lap, twisting her fingers together. “Uh...your uncle is an engineer. He’s built many, many things and well, he has a name for himself.”

“Like a...ultra ego?” Sarah asks.

“Close. It’s alter ego, but not quite. Um...” Sarah gives her the face again. “I’m just going to say it. Your uncle is a superhero.”

Sarah stares at her like she had just suggested she automatically sprout wings and fly away. Darcy wonders if Sarah would prefer that, especially now as she plows on. Sarah’s blue grey eyes get wider and wider, her little face filling with excitement as the realization sets in.

“They’re all...superheroes? Superheroes are real?”

Darcy knows that her daughter understands that she would never, _ever_ lie to her. Especially about something like this.

“Yeah, baby.” Darcy bites her lip, wondering... “There’s something else you need to know. About Captain America.” She had almost glossed over Steve, feeling increasingly guilty for doing so at the moment. “I knew him. Before all of this.” Fuck it, she’s just going to bite the bullet. “He’s your dad.”

That’s what gets her. Sarah stares at a point in the ground, her arms folded in front of her chest. “Oh.” Darcy waits, watching her closely. “Can we go home now?”

The walk back to the tower is spent in silence. Darcy eyes her daughter worriedly during the elevator ride back up to their apartment. The apartment door opens just as the elevator doors do and Jane steps out, holding a tablet in her hands. Sarah quickly tosses herself at Jane’s midsection, causing the scientist to _oof_ in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Jane looks at Darcy over Sarah’s head. “What happened?”

“I told her,” Darcy mouths, feeling more and more like a terrible mother with every passing moment as Sarah clings to Jane.

Jane gently steers Sarah into the apartment, Darcy trailing behind. “Sarah, honey, listen to me -”

“I want to go home,” the little girl suddenly announces.

Jane shoots a glance at Darcy before kneeling down in front of Sarah. “Sarah, we _are_ home. This is where we are going to live for a while.”

“ _No._ I want to go back to where we used to live! Not _here._ I don’t want to be here. It’s too _scary_.”

They calm her down but after she is, the little girl is practically falling asleep on her feet. Darcy tucks her into her bed, gently closing the door of the bedroom after her to see Jane. “What kind of a mother am I? I’ve scarred my own kid for life.”

“You’re a very good mother,” Jane assures her. “You didn’t scar her, don’t be stupid. This is going to take Sarah a lot to get used too.”

Darcy blinks hard at the burn of tears behind her eyes. “She was so excited when I told her about the superheroes and was warming up to having an uncle. But when I told her about her father, she shut down and got freaked out. I don’t...I don’t understand.”

Jane licks her lips. “You told her about all the fun stuff. Having a rich uncle, the superheroes, all of that. She understands what a father is, even for her young age, but I think she doesn’t get that this is a good thing. You never mentioned Steve and – _wait_ ,” she adds when Darcy opens her mouth to protest. “ – and she just doesn’t get it. She’s so used to her life being just you, her, and me. And now it’s going to include so many new people and so many new things. And Steve is going to eventually hold the same role in her life as you. I think it was the dad thing that might have pushed her a little over the edge.”

Darcy groans, rubbing her palms into her eyes. “Oh my god, I didn’t even _realize..._ I am the worst mother in the world.”

“Darcy, _stop._ You’re a terrific mother,” Jane pats her arm.

“I just want her to adjust and be happy here. I never thought...”

“Give her time and take it nice and slow. She’ll adjust to anything, especially if she is your and Steve’s kid.”

-;

“Darcy? Darcy, wake up.”

“Huh-wha? Whoa!”

 _Bam._ Down on her face she goes. She hears a gasp from above her head and strong hands are pulling her up and putting her back onto the couch she had fallen off of. When she fell asleep she doesn’t know.

“You always find me at my worst moments,” she tells Steve as he sits beside her on the cushions.

“One of my favorite things about you,” he says with a smile. “What happened?”

“What happened as to why I am passed out here on the couch at three in the afternoon? Or what happened with Sarah?”

He shrugs. “Whichever you want to talk about first.”

“Well they are related. Sarah didn’t take too kindly to all the information I dumped on her poor head this morning and I am on the Mom shit list.” Steve scoffs. “No it’s true. Jane told me I wasn’t but she’s Jane, she has to tell me that.”

“Bullshit.”

“What?”

“Bullshit that you’re a bad mother,” Steve says, his voice startlingly firm. “I mean, you’re... _you._ There’s no way you’re a bad mother.”

Darcy’s stunned into silence for an uncomfortably long time. When she finds her voice again, it’s cracked from emotion she hadn’t felt in forever. “Would you like to meet her?”

Steve nods, his throat tight. “Yeah. Yeah I would.”

She tells him to not be upset or hurt if Sarah refuses before getting up off of the sofa and walking down the short hallway to her bedroom. Sarah is sitting up in bed, holding what looks to be an incredibly large book in her lap. Her fuzzy blond curls stick up this way and that and Darcy brushes them back with her hand. “What are you reading?”

Sarah shrugs. “I found it sitting on the dresser.”

Darcy pulls up the edge of the cover. “All Things Avengers? What the fudge?”

“Swear jar, mommy.”

Darcy huffs. “That wasn’t a swear word, here let me see that –“ she pulls the book away, eyes widening when she sees the page Sarah is on.

_Captain America._

“Is that what he looks like?” Sarah asks, pointing to the small image of Steve’s army days. One of the few pictures of him out of the mask, so different from the man she knew in Portland. No wonder Darcy didn’t recognize him.

“Yeah.”

“I look like him,” Sarah muses softly, her little finger tracing the image.

Darcy nods. “Yeah, shorty, you do.” She passes the book back onto Sarah’s lap. “Listen, Steve is here. He came by to see me a little while ago.”

Sarah says nothing, eyes still on the page.

“He’d like to meet you but if you are not ready, he understands.”

“Do I have to call him Daddy?”

Darcy shakes her head. “No. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want too, okay?”

Sarah takes in a small breath, letting it out slowly like she has all the weight of the world on her shoulders. And in fact, she does.

“What’s he like?”

“Steve? He’s...kind. And funny. But he tells the most horrible jokes,” Darcy adds. “You cannot help but laugh at them.”

“Really?” Sarah asks hopefully.

“And uh, he likes to draw and paint. He owned an art store when I knew him.”

That peaks Sarah’s interest. “Did I...did I get that from him?”

Darcy thinks about the dozens of wonderful drawings Sarah had given her over the past three years, tucked away in a drawer back at the apartment in Portland. “Most definitely.”

Sarah’s quiet for what seems like ages. “Aunt Jane packed my art set.”

Darcy looks around at the still unpacked second suitcase, climbing off the bed and pulling the case down onto its side to unzip. The flat metal case is on top of the clothing and she plucks it out. “Did she pack your sketch book too?” She finds the book as the words come out of her mouth.

Sarah climbs off the bed and takes the case and the book in her hands, staring at them thoughtfully. “He can stay for dinner.”

Darcy raises a brow. “You serious? When did you become the boss, oh great and powerful one?”

Sarah giggles. “ _Mommy_!”

“How about a late lunch instead? Neither of us have eaten in a while.”

“Okay!”

Darcy lightly pats Sarah’s thigh. “Go brush your teeth, your breath smells like alligators.”

“It does not!” Sarah laughs, but she does as she’s told. Darcy picks up the large book that Sarah discarded on the bed, eyes flitting over the drawn images of Steve in uniform. With a heavy sigh, she closes the book and leaves it on the dresser.

Sarah trots out from the bathroom, reaching for her mother’s hand. “Mommy, I’m nervous.”

“I feel ya, shorty.”

Darcy walks out of the bedroom first, Sarah lagging a little behind. Steve’s still sitting on the couch, a magazine laced through his fingers. When the father and daughter see each other, they both freeze and Sarah tugs on Darcy’s hand. “Mom, I left my art set in the bedroom. Can I go get it?”

“Sure,” Darcy watches Sarah trot back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her with a resounding thud. “I’m sorry, Steve.”

Disappoint clouds Steve’s face. “It’s okay.”

“You still wanna stay?”

They prepare lunch together, grilled cheese and ham sandwiches with fries. Darcy hopes that the smells of Sarah’s favorite foods would coax her out of the bedroom, but to no avail.

Darcy pops a fry into her mouth, eyeing Steve with apprehension as he picks at his food. “You’re not telling me you’re not hungry, are you? I’ve seen you demolish three times this.” Steve doesn’t answer. Darcy doesn’t think he even heard her and she lets out an exasperated sigh. “Steve, _go._ She’s waiting for you to make the first move.”

He brightens. “Are you sure?”

“ _Go,_ you big goof. Oh wait, here, take this in with you. She needs to eat something.” Darcy points to the plate of sliced strawberries and bananas next to her elbow on the table.  

The smile he flashes her sends electric shocks right down to her toes. She watches him pad from the room and go around the corner, following just a bit. And true to her word, the bedroom door is now cracked open just a bit in invitation. Smiling, Darcy turns away and goes to clean up the leftovers.

-;

Sarah looks up from her spot on the floor when she sees the door opening. Expecting her mother, she is taken aback when she sees the large man that her mother calls ‘Steve’. Her father.

Sarah feels a little foolish for bolting. Especially when she had agreed to meet her dad but she couldn’t help it. She got scared. Sarah was used to her life being just her, her mom and aunt Jane and now it was going to include these other people that she had never known.

Steve watches her for a second, cradling what looks to be a plate of fruit in his hands. Sarah glances down at her art book, lip curled in apprehension. “Mom says you like to draw?”

Sarah hears him gasp, just a tiny intake of breath. “I do. Very much.”

She swallows, moving the piece of paper she had been working on and tearing out a clean one. She picks up a plain pencil and holds them up for Steve, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile.

Steve takes the paper and pencil, lowering himself to the floor, a measurable distance away from Sarah. He puts the plate beside her right hand, just within reach.

Sarah watches him out of the corner of her eye as he begins to draw. Not many of her classmates had two parents. She can think of only two or three of them having both their mom and dad around. Sarah always thought that being raised by just her mother was a normal thing. Now she had a mom _and_ a dad. And her dad was a superhero to boot.

But, Sarah thinks as she watches Steve, he doesn’t look like a superhero. Her gaze flutters to the paper and she sees a dog taking shape on the page. Her own drawing is forgotten in front of her as she stares. The dog is _neat,_ chasing its tail and laughing on the page.

“You’re...good.”

Steve smiles. “You are too.” He gestures to the elephant she had been trying to craft. “Elephant, right?”

Sarah gapes. “How did you – not even _Mom_ can figure out what my drawings are!” Her mother always _oohed_ and _ahhed_ over the drawings she gave her but Sarah knew she had no idea what she was looking at. She was almost six, not...well _two._

“May I?” Sarah places the drawing into the hand he holds out. “This is marvelous,” he tells her and Sarah’s heart sores.

If this is what having a dad is like, then she’s all in.

-;

“She’s incredible.”

Darcy laughs, leaning back on the sofa cushions to make room for Steve. He sits beside her, arms stretching up to rest behind her head. “That she is. She asleep?”

“Nah, she said she wanted to draw us something so she kicked me out. She ate the fruit too.”

Darcy sighs in content, allowing her head to rest on Steve’s arm. The heat from his skin is so familiar.

She’s missed this.

“What was it like when she was born?”

Darcy picks at a loose thread on her jeans. “Scary. I had to have a c-section.” Steve’s breathing quickens. “I don’t remember much, I just know there was a lot of blood and the doctor telling me if they didn’t do it, she and I would both die.”

“Oh, _Darcy...”_

“But it’s okay,” Darcy pats his knee. “We’re good.”

“Darcy, I am so _sorry_ –“

She turns to him, nails digging into his thigh. “Don’t be. All right? There’s nothing you can do about it now. Sarah and I made it through.” Steve flinches, looking away. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

Darcy sighs tiredly. “I was really scared when it happened. And I was alone. They wouldn’t let Jane in since she wasn’t family, which is serious bull if you ask me.” Steve’s hand shoots out, wrapping around hers. “And I needed you but Sarah needed me. I wasn’t about to give up.”

“Darcy,” her gazes flickers up to his. “I’m not going anywhere. Never again.”

She believes him. There’s still so much she wants to say but there is no strength left in her to say it. “She was so tiny. No bigger than a loaf of bread. Her eyes were that muddy blue color that babies’ are when they’re born. And she had these wisps of dark blond hair on top of her head. One of the nurses called her a ‘cherub child’ and no sooner did the words come out of her mouth that Sarah started screaming bloody murder.”

Steve laughs quietly, feasting on the words. He can picture what Darcy describes so clear in his mind, almost like he’s watching a film reel. Darcy then tells him about the virus that almost took Sarah’s life at three months and he sees himself there with her, weathering that horrible storm.

He’s amazed by Darcy. He knew it already when he had met her but the strength that she carries, the hope that she still radiates from her very soul, every bit is infectious.

He’s missed her so fucking _much._

The bedroom door opens and Sarah trots out then, holding a piece of paper in her hands. “Look!” She places the paper in Steve’s hands, her little face beaming with excitement. “I hope you like it.”

Darcy leans over Steve’s arm, peeking at the paper. She sees three figures drawn, one little person with blond hair that is obviously Sarah. The other two figures are blond and brunette so she guesses they are her and Steve. The Avengers tower (she hopes that is what it is) is drawn in the background along with a big yellow ball of sunshine in the corner.

“Sarah, this is gorgeous,” Steve tells her. Darcy grins as Sarah giggles happily.

“It’s for you to keep,” Sarah says, her voice bringing in a hint of no-nonsense that she obviously got from Jane. “Please.”

Steve tucks the picture in one hand while he takes Sarah’s in the other, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’d be honored.”

To both their surprises, Sarah throws her arms around Steve’s neck, pushing him backwards into the couch cushions. The hug is brief and she pulls away within seconds but expression on Steve’s face is enough.

It’s enough. And it’s a start.

-;

_Crash._

“Tony, that is the fourth plate you have dropped in the last thirty minutes.”

Tony felt his face heat up, glancing up at Rhodey with a nervous smile. “Sorry. Darcy’s bringing the kid down and I’m a little –“

“Jumpy?” Rhodey finished, grinning. “Are you scared of a six year old?”

“A little,” he admits, chuckling. “Her mother scared the hell out of me.”

“Darcy?” Rhodey asks. “Why?”

“Because...” Tony searches for the right words, unsure of how to say what had been brewing on his mind since the blood tests had come back. Heck, he had known it almost from the moment he laid eyes on her in Pepper’s office. “She’s my sister. She’s...”

“Like you?” Rhodey’s smiling gently at him and Tony feels quite uncomfortable. “Allow me to border on being mushy but...you haven’t had much family your whole life. Grab onto this, and don’t let it go, all right?”

Tony pats Rhodey’s shoulder, voice suddenly gone. He swallows hard at the lump in his throat, managing to force out a near inaudible, “Thanks.”

_“Boss, Ms. Lewis and her daughter are on their way down.”_

“Thanks Friday.”

The elevator doors open and Darcy and Sarah step off. Sarah clings to her mother’s hand, staring around at the workshop with wide eyes. “ _Wow.”_

Darcy grins. “You can say that again.”

Tony nudges Rhodey’s arm and they walk over. “Darce, this is James Rhodes.”

Rhodey takes her hand. “You’re the sister.”

Darcy snorts. “Yup. And this is the niece,” she adds, hands gently resting on Sarah’s slim shoulders. “Really nice to meet you, Mr. Rhodes.”

“Call me Rhodey. Hi, Sarah.”

Sarah peers up at the older man. “Are you a superhero like my uncle?”

“Sarah!” Darcy admonishes.

Tony bursts out laughing. “She’s definitely a Stark,” Rhodey chuckles. “Uh, I wouldn’t call myself a superhero but I do own one of those suits,” he cocks his thumb at the grand wall behind them where about a dozen suits stand, lit up by drop light bulbs.

“That is so _cool,”_ Sarah says happily.

“ _Don’t_ get any ideas, young lady,” Darcy says warningly, laughing out loud when twin pouts appear on Tony and Sarah’s faces. “Oh boy.”

Rhodey gently taps Tony’s shoulder and heads for the elevators. “I’m gonna leave you all alone. Nice meeting you, Darcy.”

Darcy waves goodbye, watching as the elevator doors swallow the sweet man up. Tony’s already stolen Sarah away, taking her over to his suit. Sarah eats up every word, holding his hand as he explains the mechanisms of his suit and cracks jokes that get Darcy’s eyes rolling. “Please don’t blow anything up to entertain her.”

Tony puts a hand to his heart in faux outrage. “I would _never._ But thanks, you just put that idea into my head.”

“Dang it.”

-;

“I used to be fun, Janey. I’m not fun anymore.”

Jane doesn’t look up from the tablet in her hands, fingers moving rapidly over the screen as Darcy flops down on the sofa beside her. “Why do you say that?”

“ _Because,”_ Darcy rolls her eyes like Jane had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. “I watched my brother and my daughter have the best time down in his workshop and I was _worried_ that he would blow something up. Before Sarah, I would have encouraged it! Has motherhood mellowed me, Jane?”

“Of course not, Darcy. You are still the most fun loving person I know,” Jane says, still staring at her tablet.

Darcy peeks over Jane’s shoulder and sees about a billion equations appearing on the screen. “Are you doing that?”

“No, I’m in a chat with Dr. Banner. He’s away at a meeting in London and won’t be back until late next week.”

“Just couldn’t wait until then, eh? This is like sex to you.” Jane ignores her, continuing to write on the screen.

Darcy sighs, leaning back into the cushions. Sarah’s getting a private tour of the tower from Tony and won’t be back for at least another hour. She wonders if Sarah’s going to need some aspirin after she gets back for the blistering headache she is sure to have. Eh, but then again, six year olds can take in a lot of information at one time.

There’s a small crash from down the hall, followed by a stream of quiet curses. “What the hell was that?”

Jane surfaces at the sound too. “Friday, is someone else in the apartment?”

“ _Captain Rogers is in Sarah’s room, Dr. Foster.”_

“What the hell –“ Darcy marches down the hallway and pushes open the bedroom door with a heavy thud. “Steve?”

He’s kneeling on the floor, paint spattered all over his denim clad legs and streaking his arms. There’s even some on his face and if Darcy’s heart wasn’t hammering in her ears, she’d be highly amused at the sheepish expression he wears.

“Uh, hi?”

Clear tarp covers the floor. The furniture is now missing and the walls – are _green._ Sarah’s favorite color.

“What are you doing?” Jane spits angrily.

“I didn’t realize you two were here. Friday let me in, I wanted this to be done by the time you got back but –“ he gestures haphazardly to the walls and Darcy’s eyes narrow as she takes in the images that were now stenciled. “Sarah said her favorite animal was an elephant. It was the least I could do.”

Darcy has seen murals and paintings in a lot of museums, and yet none of them measure up to what she is seeing right now. The walls are now a sage colored green and soft colored trees sprout from each corner from carefully drawn strokes of a brush. [In the middle of the wall, she sees what is two large elephants with their heads touching and trunks intertwined. A small baby is painted tucked between them, her little trunk pointed upward as she gazes at her parents.](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/elephant-family-love-kim-freitas.jpg)

There’s a irritated _hmph_ from behind Darcy but she barely pays attention, walking forward across the tarped floor to get a closer look. Tears suddenly blur in her eyes and she rubs at them. “The paint fumes,” she murmurs and Steve smiles. “Are we the elephants?”

He laughs, the worry fading from his eyes. “I guess? I wasn’t really thinking that way.” He worries his bottom lip. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

“Dude, she’s gonna love it,” Darcy assures him. “Jeez Steve, I knew you were talented but I didn’t realize you were _this_ talented.” The detail to the elephants’ trunks and legs are so intricate and she cannot tear her eyes away.

“Thanks? I guess?”

“Well back in Maine you never let me look at your drawings so –“ her face flushes. “Sorry.”

Steve doesn’t say anything else, not that Darcy would expect him too. Mumbling a lame excuse, she flees, leaving the door open to get some of the paint fumes out.

Sarah is brought back by Tony an hour later as Steve is attempting to get some of the paint off of his hands in the bathroom. The moment Darcy lays eyes on her daughter, she knows something is wrong.

Sarah accepts her mother’s hug, murmuring a thank you to her uncle before trotting past to go to Darcy’s bedroom. Darcy looks up at her brother, eyebrows raised. “What’s the matter with her?”

Tony shrugs his shoulders, seemingly just as confused as she is feeling. “I don’t _know._ Fury tapped through Friday to talk to me about something for a couple of minutes and when I got off the phone, the kid became Miss Sullen.”

Darcy blinks, glancing towards the closed bedroom door for a moment. “You must have said something. She doesn’t go from sixty to zero for nothing.”

“I, uh, am not good at this sort of thing so --?”

“Gonna pass it off on me, huh?” Darcy asks.

Tony flinches. “Just let me know what it is so I don’t screw it up again.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Darcy waves as he ducks out of the apartment.

Jane comes around the corner. Darcy didn’t even realize she wasn’t in the apartment. “What’s up?”

Darcy’s answer is cut off by Sarah’s yelp. She looks around in time to catch Sarah throwing herself at her midsection, glomming on tight like an octopus. Steve trails after her, his arms and hands still dyed green from the paint. “What is going on? Sarah?”

Sarah shakes her head, her nose bumping Darcy’s hip. “Make him go away,” she whispers and Darcy’s heart skips a beat.

Steve’s face is the worst but he leaves without question. Darcy steers her child over to the couch, sliding down to her knees in front of her. Sarah still grabs onto her arm with a vice like grip that Darcy has to pry loose from. “Sarah Jane, talk to me.”

“I don’t want Steve _here,_ ” Sarah says, her little lip sticking out.

“For heaven’s sake, why?”

“Because he doesn’t want me.”

Darcy exchanges a bewildered stare with Jane. “Where did you get that idea?”

“Uncle Tony.”

Jane sucks in a breath. “Oooh boy.”

“Wait a minute, your uncle said that your father didn’t want you?” Darcy asks.

Sarah nods. “He was talking to Mr. Furry on the phone thing? And he said that Steve left you before you had me.”

Darcy swears under her breath. Sarah seems so destroyed that she doesn’t even correct her mother’s language. “Oh _honey...”_

“He doesn’t want me,” Sarah repeats mournfully. With a small sob she wraps her arms around her mother’s neck, burrowing into Darcy’s embrace.

Darcy blinks away a tear, gently rubbing her hand up Sarah’s back. “Sarah, honey, listen to me.” She gently pries the little girl off of her and sets her back on the couch. “First of all,” Her thumb brushes at the tiny tears on her cheeks. “Your uncle has an incredibly big mouth and he’s going to get the biggest buttkicking from his sister later.”

Sarah manages a flicker of a smile. Jane eases an arm around her small shoulders and she leans into the other woman’s touch.

“And second, I was going to wait until you were a bit older before I explained this to you.” Sarah huffs impatiently. “Your dad left before he knew you were on the way. And he left for a very good reason.”

“ _Ha.”_

Darcy glares at Jane for a moment, flitting her gaze back to Sarah. “You see, your dad was...not Captain America at the time. He was living a simple life but when a very bad man showed up and tried to hurt him and us, he left to get the bad man away.”

“He left...to save us?”

Darcy nods, gently brushing her hand over Sarah’s curls. “Yeah shorty.”

“Oh.” A strange expression crosses Sarah’s face and she blushes. “I feel silly.”

“Don’t feel silly,” Jane says lightly. “Just...don’t take everything your uncle says to heart.”

Sarah laughs softly, scrubbing at the tears still on her face. “I won’t. Not anymore.”

“You okay now?”

“Yeah. Thank you Mommy. Aunt Jane.”

Darcy gets to her feet, holding out her hand. “Come on, I got something to show you.” She leads Sarah to her room and pushes open the cracked door. Sarah’s eyes light up, her mouth falling open. “What do you think?”

“Did Steve --?”

“Yup, he did all of this for you.”

Sarah’s eyes are filled with wonder as she takes in the beautiful paintings. “I love it. So pretty.”

“I can give him that,” Jane admits sourly from the doorway.

Darcy frowns. “ _Jane.”_

“Hey I can still be mad at him,” Jane hisses. She turns to leave.

“Can I sleep in here tonight?” Sarah asks excitedly.

“Uh, notice you don’t have a bed?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Day after tomorrow,” Darcy promises. “We got to get you your bed back and all the paint fumes will be out of here. Come on.”

Sarah agrees begrudgingly after another long look at the painted elephants.

Once dinner is taken care of, Darcy sneaks out once Sarah is situated with her books on the couch. The elevator takes her up to the top floor and she bangs on the penthouse door with her whole fist.

Tony opens it. “What’s the matter?”

“Is Big Mouth Syndrome a genetic thing?” Darcy muses, hand on her hip.

“Huh?”

“Sarah heard you tell Fury that Steve left me. She got it in her head that her father wanted nothing to do with her.”

“Wha – _oh._ Shit.”

Darcy grabs Tony’s shirt and yanks him right out into the hallway with her. “And now you are going to go back to my place and tell Sarah that you are sorry for nearly scarring her for life.”

“Done but could you let go? You have some chest hairs in your fist and –“ Darcy twists her fingers. “Ooookay you got it!”

-;

Steve pulls himself off the couch, discarding his sketch book on the cushions beside him when he hears the light knock on the door. Pulling it open during the second knock, Darcy nearly falls right into his arms. “Hi?”

“Hi.” She fixes him with a no nonsense stare. “Sarah’s okay if you want to come down and spend some time with her.”

“She’s okay?” Steve repeats.

“Yeah. Turns out my brother ran his mouth during a phone call with Fury and told him that you had left me while I was pregnant and Sarah thought that meant that –“

“I didn’t want her,” Steve finishes in dismay. “Jesus.”

“I explained everything to her. Well, the kid version of everything. She understands,” Darcy assures him. “I also yelled at Tony and yanked out some of his chest hairs so it’s all good there too.”

Steve snorts. “Yeah?”

Darcy reaches down and pulls on his hand. “Come on, let’s go see our girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thor's on the way next chapter. 
> 
> This is going to be a falling back in love slow burn story with a lot of twists and turns along the way. I hope everyone will hang in there with me AND I hope everyone had a marvelous holiday. Many blessings.


	8. Thor

 

.

.

The following day, Darcy went out elementary school hunting and came back to find the ugly pink furniture all replaced. Sarah was excitedly jumping on her brand new mattress, snug in a sleighbed frame when Darcy enters the room. “Mommy isn’t it cool?!” she exclaims happily, leaping lightly to the floor with the grace of a cat.

“What the fu – yeah baby it’s awesome.”

A large stuffed elephant rests in the corner along with a white desk, an easel, an oak bookshelf and a nightstand. An Iron Man lamp rests on the nightstand and Darcy snorts, rolling her eyes when she sees that. The mural on the wall is on display from the sunlight coming in through the window and honestly, screw being an adult, Darcy wanted the room all to herself.

“I told uncle Tony how much I hated pink,” Sarah admits. “He asked me what my favorite colors were and –“ she waves her hands, a large smile on her face. “ – ta da!”

Darcy fixes her daughter with a firm stare, arms folded in front of her chest. “Sarah Jane Lewis, did you manipulate your uncle into giving you all of this stuff?”

“In a way she did,” comes a voice from the doorway and Darcy looks around to see her brother leaning against the doorframe. Sarah giggles at the sight of him. “Let her manipulate me for a while,” he adds, almost pleadingly. “I also sent out for the rest of your stuff from Portland.”

“Thank you for all of this but buying her stuff doesn’t make up for the last six years. You don’t _need_ to make up for those years -” Darcy starts to say.  

“Oh but _Mommy –“_

Darcy holds up a finger and Sarah falls silent. “She’s going to get _spoiled,”_ she whispers.

“I am not!”

“She is not!”

Darcy rubs her temples, a headache beginning to thud away behind her eyes.

-;

He finds Jane in the communal kitchen mashing potatoes with a hand masher. At the sight of him she begins slamming the tool down onto the potatoes with enough force to crack the table and he’s tempted to flee.

“Jane, we need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she replies, voice clipped.

“Jane, _please.”_

“Steve, Darcy may have forgiven you but I haven’t.” She attempts to pour milk on top of the potatoes and sloshes most of it onto the counter. Swearing under her breath, she grabs a sponge from the back of the sink and angrily wipes it up. “She didn’t talk for a _week.”_

Steve flinches. He didn’t know that.

“A week, Steve. That’s not normal for Darcy Lewis.” When Jane turns to look at him, her eyes are glittering with angry tears. “She picked me off the floor when Thor left me. To see her even _worse..._ and to still be so in love with you –“

His ears perk up at that. Steve hadn’t dared entertain the thought. He had been sure Darcy was with someone in those years. She was too perfect, there was no _way..._

“And then she almost _died_ having your child –“

“I know, Jane. She told me about that.” His voice comes out harsher than he means it too but he _knows._ He will carry the weight of this guilt around for the rest of his years. 

Jane stops mid tirade and gives him the most withering glare that if looks could kill, he’d be long gone by now. And then suddenly, the glare fades replaced by an expression of deep exhaustion. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t owe me that.”

She shakes her head and returns to her potatoes that have hardened into gooey lumps. “I don’t even know why I was doing this. I finished my work and there’s actually _nothing_ more to do until Bruce gets back tomorrow.” When she looks back at him, the tears are gone and replaced by a hard expression. “Don’t _ever_ leave them again.”

He nods. “You couldn’t drag me away.”

Jane sighs. “Okay. _Okay.”_

“I owe _you_ a huge thank you.”

Jane blinked in surprise. “For what?”

“You took care of them,” he explains and Jane quickly shakes her head.

“We took care of each other. Like you and Barnes did. Like you and Wilson do now,” she adds with a smile. She shrugs a shoulder. “It’s what family does.”

-;

“You can’t pay for everything, Tony.”

“Why _not?_ Isn’t that what family does?”

Darcy shakes her head. “ _No._ Family takes care of each other in other ways than monetary.”

“Darce, listen. You have what, twelve dollars to your name?” Darcy flushed but nodded. “You are never going to be able to afford to send Sarah to a good school here in the city. Those public schools you were looking at –“

“— are nice schools! I don’t want my child in one of those hoity-toity schools!”

“They’re not ‘hoity-toity’ –“

“Yes they are! They’re schools that politicians and celebrities send their kids too. _No.”_

“This kid is my _niece._ She deserves the best!”

“She is _my_ daughter! And the best is not all of _this,”_ Darcy points out. “What she deserves is an uncle that will be her friend but also support her and love her. She doesn’t need thousands of gifts tossed her way, no matter how much she likes that part.”

Tony visibly wilts and Darcy feels like a big jerk. “Work for me.”

“What?”

“Work here in the tower. Chase Banner and Foster around the labs and remind them to eat and clean up their toys. Run PR for the Avengers. Foster told me you are fantastic at turning bad into good, right?”

“Well yes but –“

“Do all that and we’re even.”

“Wha— _even?”_ Darcy sputters. “Stark, you’re not hearing me.” She reaches over and grabs his shoulders, making him look her in the eyes. “I. Do. Not. Need. All. Of. This.”

“But –“

“Are you afraid we’re going to leave?” Ah, that’s it. Darcy’s pretty sure she just hit a nerve by the look on her brother’s face. “That’s exactly what you are thinking, isn’t it?”

He scowls. “Oh bugger off.”

Darcy snorts. “I don’t know whether to pinch you or hug you.” He opens his arms and she walks into them, gently squeezing his right shoulder with her fingertips. “We’ll figure something out.”

-;

“I owe you an apology.”

Darcy freezes, turning slowly towards the familiar voice. Natasha Romanoff, in all of her deadly glory, stands in the doorway of the office. Darcy hadn’t seen too many Avengers in the three weeks they had been here in the tower. Clint had been away in Idaho visiting his brother with the Maximoff twins and Darcy had assumed Natasha had gone with them.

“Excuse me?”

The redhead shrugs almost nonchalantly and Darcy would be lying if she said that the woman didn’t intimidate the hell out of her by even being in the same vicinity. “I haven’t had a chance to speak to you since you and Dr. Foster arrived but – I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for everything that happened. And if I had known about Sarah –“

“You didn’t though. If Rogers had you and Barton stop keeping an eye on me after six weeks, there’s no way you could have known.”

“He thought he was doing what was right,” Natasha says and Darcy looks away. “You were the one good thing he had that was _normal,_ do you understand? He didn’t take that lightly.”

“I know.”

Natasha shakes her head. “I don’t think you do.”

Admittedly, Darcy’s still angry. Outside of Sarah, she had been avoiding Steve and spending a lot of time with just Jane or her brother and Pepper. She knows the truth, she cannot even say that she wouldn’t have done the same thing to keep those she loved safe but the raw hurt was still there.

She watched how Sarah was around her father. The girl adored her uncle and was already on her way to getting Tony wrapped around her little finger but with Steve...a deep bond was growing quickly. Sarah lit up whenever Steve walked into the room and she was onto him in an instant. Sarah was so very much like him, it was almost frightening.

“I do,” Darcy says carefully. “Natasha I appreciate what you are trying to do. But this is something I am going to have to work out on my own.”

Natasha hesitates and she wonders if the assassin is going to pick a fight with her. She turns on her heel to leave the office, Darcy’s voice stopping her in her tracks.

“Thank you.”

With a stiff nod, the other woman leaves Darcy alone, and very, very confused.

-;

“Thor’s touching down soon.”

A storm had been brewing outside for the last several minutes. Darcy had stuck her head out the window to watch the lightening pattern and wait for the crash of the thunder that was sure to follow, only coming back inside when Sharon yanked on her arm.

“Really?” Darcy’s heart leaped. She hadn’t seen the big guy in almost seven years. “Is he -?” she points towards the ceiling.

“Yeah he’s gonna land on the roof from what I understand – wait, where are you going?”

She has Friday direct the elevator to the roof, wrapping her knitted sweater tightly around her form as she watches the lightening dance across the sky but not touch down once. There is a large rumble of thunder, followed by an enormous gust of wind that yanks half of Darcy’s hair out of the braid she had put it in this morning.

When she blinks, Thor is standing there.

The god’s face lights up with a large happy smile when he sees her and she quickly trots right into his waiting arms. “I have missed you so much,” she mumbles into his shoulder, yelping when he pulls her right off of her feet.

“And I you, lightening sister,” he says after gently placing her back on her feet. “Are you well?”

“Better than that,” she grins, taking his large hand in hers. She gives his armor a poke with her finger. “Still muscley, huh?”

He laughs.

They walk over to the elevator hand in hand. “There’s a lot you have to catch up on.”

“I’m certain that is the case,” Thor says. He gives her messy braid a light tweak. “I’m surprised you are here.”

“Well that is an incredibly long story,” Darcy says. “I’ll tell you about it on the way down.”

She’s got the whole story out by the time the elevators open on the main floor and Darcy suspects that Friday had slowed the descent of the box way down so they could talk. Thor’s gaping at her when she stops to draw breath and she has to laugh. “Close your mouth big guy, princes don’t gape.”

He snaps his jaw shut, looking mildly embarrassed. “You and the Captain have a child? And you are Stark’s...” he winces.

“Sister,” Darcy finishes. “Yep. Told you it was a long story.”

Thor chuckles, gently patting her shoulder. “Well I hope I can meet the young lady. Any child of my lightening sister and the Captain’s is sure to be special.”

“She is,” Darcy smiles. “She sure is.” She could honestly talk about her kid all day. Yes, she has become one of _those_ parents.

“Is, uh, Jane here?”

She was waiting for that. “Yeah she is. She took the job offer from Stark and has been working with Bruce on some big project thingamajiggy. Is this gonna be awkward for the two of you?”

“Hopefully not.” The elevator doors open on Thor’s assigned floor. “I would like to speak with her later. That is, if she will speak with me.”

“Listen, Thor,” Darcy grabs his arm as he begins to step off of the elevator. “You’re not trying to win her back, are you? Because if so then I am going to have to tase you.”

Thor chuckled, shaking his head. “Not at all, sister. I want to make things right.”

“ _She_ might tase you instead,” Darcy warns gently. She’s not kidding, not even for a second. Once the rest of her stuff had been sent out from Maine, Tony had gotten his hands on her taser and was currently trying to ‘supe it up. She feared what it would do to a human, let alone a demigod.

After leaving Thor alone in his rooms, Darcy takes the elevator back to her floor. The doors open to reveal Jane standing there, arms folded tightly in front of chest.

“Hi Jane!” Damn that came out too squeaky.

The scientist frowns. “Is he in his rooms?”

“Now, Jane –“ Darcy quickly throws her arms out in a sincere effort to block her way to the elevator. “ – what are you going to do? Beat your tiny fists against his chest?”

“Nope.” A truly evil grin crosses Jane’s face and she reaches into the back of her belt to pull out, to Darcy’s horror, the new taser. “I got something better.” And then, like she had been pushed aside by magic, Darcy finds herself face planting into the wall and the elevator doors shutting on a beaming Jane.

“Uh Friday?”

“ _Yes Ms. Lewis?”_

“Can you alert Thor that Dr. Foster is on the way to hurt many parts of him?”

She hears what she discerns to be a low chuckle from the AI. _“Already have, Ms. Lewis.”_

-;

She finds Tony in the communal kitchen upstairs. Pepper and Rhodey are cooking something with garlic, the smell of the spices tickling the edges of Darcy’s nose. She leans over Rhodey’s shoulder to take a deep whiff of what she sees is some sort of spaghetti sauce.

“Puttanesca sauce,” Pepper explains at Darcy’s questioning look. “It has garlic, olives, tomatoes, capers and –“

“Anchovies,” Rhodey adds.

Darcy wrinkles her nose. “Little dead fish?”

“Don’t worry, we took their heads off,” Pepper jokes and Darcy rolls her eyes.

“She’s been around the two of you too much, what have you done to this poor girl?”

Tony snorts from his place at the edge of the counter, a tall glass of wine in front of him. Darcy perches on the stool next to him, resting her chin on the crook of his arm. “I thought you’d be introducing Sarah to Thor.”

“I was going to and then Jane showed up. Can that taser do damage to a demi god?”

Tony stares at her. “How did Jane get her hands on that?”

“She’s Jane,” Darcy reminds him. “She can do anything she wants. And Sarah’s with Steve, they’re getting some alone time.”

The smell of the sauce is getting too much to handle and Darcy pesters Rhodey into letting her have a small cup as Pepper finishes boiling and draining the noodles off in the sink. Darcy’s digging into her cup of sauce when they hear the patter of small feet coming down the short hallway and Sarah rounds the corner.

She’s carrying Mjolnir.

Tony drops his glass on the counter with a loud clatter, spilling wine everywhere. Darcy chokes on her sauce, accepting the towel that Pepper passes her. “Sarah Jane Lewis, where did you get that?”

“I found it outside our door?” Sarah says. Steve suddenly jogs up, skidding to a stop when he sees his daughter holding the hammer like it weighs no more than a paintbrush. Sarah looks around at the stunned expressions on her family’s faces. “What? What’s wrong?”

Darcy pushes away her food and gets off of her stool. “Shorty, nothing’s wrong. Uh, _holy shit...”_

“Did I do something bad?”

“No, kiddo, you didn’t,” Steve says. He gently touches her shoulder. “Nothing wrong at all.”

Without thinking Darcy does try to take Mjolnir and would have fallen right to her face if Steve didn’t catch her. The hammer falls to the floor with a loud clang. “Shit,” she mutters again.

“Swear jar?” Sarah says, almost a question like she’s afraid she’s going to be shouted at. The faces of her family are still drawn with alarm or in her uncle’s case, a little bit of jealousy.

Darcy nods. “Promise. Uh –“

“Just leave it here. Thor will come looking for it eventually,” Pepper says.

As they are half dragging, half walking Sarah away from the kitchen, Darcy hears Tony burst out angrily, “Why does a _kid_ pick that stupid thing up but I can’t?!”

Darcy lets out a laugh, much to her child’s still complete confusion. She looks at Steve, whose expression of half awe, half delight mirrors her own. “Maybe kids are...worthy?”

“Worthy?” Sarah asks as the elevator doors close on them. “I still don’t get why everyone is so surprised?”

“Oh honey, it’s a long story.”

Darcy sticks her palm out from behind her back and Steve slaps it, both fighting another laugh.

-;

Thor and Sarah’s first meeting is after he learns about her being able to pick up Mjolnir. He spends that whole hour they are together proclaiming a still incredibly confused Sarah ‘worthy’. Darcy notices the still healing bruise on his bicep and wonders what damage Jane inflicted. Jane, who she hasn’t seen since early this morning.

“Mommy, he’s weird,” Sarah tells her later. They are curled up on Steve’s sofa together, Sarah’s head in Darcy’s lap. Steve washes dishes in the connected kitchen and Darcy cannot help but enjoy the view as she cuddles Sarah close.

Darcy laughs. “You’ll get used to him. Right?” She looks over at Steve. “How long did it take you and Thor to get along when you first started working together?”

“Gee, I don’t know. I was kind of busy trying to break up the fight between him and your uncle,” Steve says, putting the last dish in the drainer. He had a dishwasher that he never used, something Darcy remembers fondly from their time in Portland.

Sarah giggles. “Really?”

“Oh it was interesting how grown men could act like immature children,” Steve admits with a grin.

“Am I more grown up than them?”

“Definitely, shorty,” Darcy says, smacking a kiss to her forehead. “I see you haven’t lost your touch for fantastic spaghetti,” she adds to Steve.

The tips of his ears turn red. “The only recipe my mother could teach me.”

“Attention span of a butterfly?”

“Something like that.”

“Your mom...she was my grandma, right?” Sarah asks.

Steve lowers himself down onto the sofa. “Yeah. And you are named after her.”

“Mommy told me that,” Sarah says, sitting up. “Do you have any pictures of her? Was she nice? Would she have liked me?”

“Whoa, one question at a time, kiddo,” Steve laughs. “Actually, yeah I do have a picture. Hold on.” Darcy watches him get up and walk into his bedroom, returning a moment later with a very old photograph in his hand. With a soft sigh he passes the picture to Sarah. Darcy glances over to see a very pretty woman with dark blond hair pulled back into a fancy bun.

“I look like her,” Sarah muses. Darcy winces, waiting for Sarah to question the age of the photo but she does not. Sarah's eyes flutter to her father. " _You_ look like her." 

“That you do, shorty,” Darcy whispers. And it’s true. Sarah has the same blond curls and the same eyes as her father and grandmother, a trait that Darcy realized almost immediately after she was born. She looks up at Steve and sees the emotion in his eyes. Her fingers dart along the edge of the couch and grab onto his. He doesn’t let go.

“And in answer to your other questions, she was very nice. Had a hard time keeping me under control as a kid.”

Darcy snorts. “Why doesn’t this surprise me?” she wiggles a brow and Steve rolls his eyes.

“And she would have loved you so, so much. Both of you.” Darcy almost doesn’t hear the last part, Steve says it so quietly.

Lifting her gaze, she finds Steve watching her as Sarah continues to examine the photograph. “Thank you,” she mouths.

-;

“You wanna keep her tonight?”

“Huh?”

“Do you want to have Sarah spend the night?” Darcy asks again. “She’s already half passed out,” She gestures towards the couch where Sarah seems to be in a coma, the television playing on half volume in front of her. “You can feed her breakfast in the morning and then, maybe we can take her to see her new school?”

“Really?” Steve gazes at her hopefully.

“Yeah, uh, well, _erhm...”_

“Darcy.” She looks up to see Steve’s eyes soft. “I’d love too.”

“Great!” she flinches, her voice a little too high. “I’ll go upstairs and get some of her stuff.”

She bolts from the apartment before Steve can say anything else, spending the elevator ride up banging her head against the wall. The doors open on her floor and she can hear Friday make a coughing sound as she continues to lightly smack her head on the metal wall.

“ _Ms. Lewis?”_

“One sec, Friday. Almost done.” _Smack. Smack. “_ All righty.”

“ _Very good, Ms. Lewis.”_

“Hey!” Darcy raises a finger, hand on the elevator door to keep it from closing. “Don’t sass me, Fri-girl.”

The AI snorts in amusement. Darcy walks down the hallway to her apartment and just as her hand touches the door handle, the door swings wide open to reveal a red faced Thor. Jane staggers into view and she’s not brandishing a weapon like Darcy expected. They look...happy and pleased. Almost like...

“Oh _no._ No, you two didn’t –“ she wiggles her fingers.

“No, no, we did _not,”_ Jane quickly says. “We, uh –“

“As you Midgardians put it, we had it out,” Thor explains. “Everything is at peace now.”

Darcy raises a brow in disbelief. “Are you sure? Because the last time I saw Jane she had stolen my new taser – which she should so give back by the way – and was off to do damage to your godly self.”

Jane laughs, pulling the taser from the pocket of her sweater and passing it to Darcy. “I only did a little damage. We talked and,” she smiles up at Thor. “We’re good.”

“So no more awkwardness?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Thor promises.

“Everything is copacetic?”

“Darcy!”

“Okay, okay.” Darcy leans over and gives Jane a quick hug. “I gotta go get some of Sarah’s things.”

“Is Lady Sarah with her father?” Thor asks.

“Yep, he’s going to take care of her tonight and I am going to get some _sleep.”_ Darcy closes her eyes and thinks of the bliss she will have this morning without a six year old jumping on her head at the break of dawn demanding bacon in her oatmeal. “She’s up with the birds so they’ll be a perfect match.”

Jane chuckles in amusement, watching her go.

Thor’s waiting for Darcy when she gets back and Jane is nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Janey?”

Thor gets up from the sofa, throwing away the magazine that had been laying on the coffee table. “She said that she had some last minute things to do in the laboratories with Dr. Banner. I thought I’d walk you up?”

“Well thanks big guy.”

Thor takes the duffel she carries and they walk in companionable silence to the elevators. On the ride up, which is going awful _slow,_ Darcy turns to the tall blond. “I missed you.”

Thor lets out a startled chuckle. “And I you.”

“Are you going to stay for a while?”

“Stark – er, your brother needed me down here for something important. An Avengers event from what I understand and I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I would like to stay,” he admits with a smile. “I love this Earth very much.”

“What about Asgard?”

“It is thriving.”

“You still owe me a trip there,” Darcy reminds him, lightly punching his very large and muscled arm.

Thor laughs again, the sound rumbling in his belly. “Would Lady Sarah like to see it?”

Darcy gasps. “Is that what I had to do? Have a kid to get there?”

“Perhaps,” Thor says and Darcy sees a twinkle in his eye. The elevator doors open and he passes her the duffel. “Go be with your family.”

Darcy smiles, trying her best to ignore the swoop in her stomach when Thor said that word.

_Family._

Sure feels nice.

As the elevators take Thor away, Darcy walks slowly down the short hallway to Steve’s door. She lightly pushes on it and stops, hearing the soft laughter from inside. She closes her eyes, relishing the beautiful sounds. Sarah’s joy is always enough to keep her going.

Steve’s laugh joins Sarah’s and when Darcy looks, she sees Steve sitting on the sofa, his back to her as he whispers something to Sarah who is curled in his arms. A Disney movie plays on the television and Darcy sees that it’s ‘The Princess and the Frog’. One of Sarah’s (and Darcy’s) favorites.

Sarah giggles again, leaning up to see her mother standing in the doorway. Darcy places her finger to her lips, nodding towards the back of Steve’s head. She drops the duffel on the chair beside the door and blows a kiss to Sarah, who catches it with her fist.

She needs to let them have this. It’s the only way they can work on being a family.

_Together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So technically, Ultron hasn't happened yet. A form of the event will happen but not even close to the movie. The Maximoff twins backstory will be covered soon but yep Pietro is staying very much alive in this universe. 
> 
> Gosh I love this universe so much. And we are finally on our way to rebuilding what is between Darcy and Steve! Please do leave some feedback if you would like the next update this weekend. Thank you!


	9. Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: I noticed the review count went WAY down on this. I really hope you guys are not losing interest in this story.

.

Darcy looked around the classroom, Sarah’s hand tightly clenched in hers. “This reminds me of the schools I went to when I was little.”

Steve makes a noise of agreement. “It’s nice to see that not everything is straight technology today.”

“I don’t know, technology’s done some pretty cool things.”

“And some pretty bad things,” Steve says.

“Well aren’t you a Debbie downer?” Sarah suddenly says. Darcy turns a snort into a cough.

The teacher walks in, a young man with cocoa skin. “Are you Steve and Darcy?”

“Yep, that’s us.”

The man holds out his hand to Darcy. “I’m Jack Trevor, I’ll be Sarah’s teacher for the new term. Nice to meet you both.”

“You too.”

The young man turns to Sarah, who had released herself from her mother’s grasp and perched in the desk right in front of the teacher’s. “How are you, Sarah?”

“Fine,” Sarah says with a smile.

“I understand that this is a new school for you?” Jack asks.

“Yes.”

“We just moved here from Maine,” Darcy quickly jumps in. “Big change.”

“I’m sure,” Jack agrees. “All right, Sarah your desk will be right there.” He points to the desk by the window in the second row. “If you want to get your stuff packed in there right now, go ahead while I talk to your parents.”

When Darcy nods reassuring, Sarah picks up her new bookbag and trots over to the desk. Steve tugs on Darcy’s fingers, leading her back to where the young teacher sits. “I just have some paperwork for you to sign, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis and once Sarah is settled, I’ll let you be on your way.”

Darcy fights back a laugh at the look on Steve’s face but neither correct the teacher. She signs the parental forms and they both listen as Jack gives them the normal rundown of what Sarah’s days will be like here in the school. For what it’s worth, Darcy is sure that Sarah will be quite happy.

“Are you hungry babe?” Darcy asks her daughter as they leave the classroom an hour later.

Sarah nods. “I didn’t eat too much breakfast.”

“Were you nervous?” Steve says.

“A little bit,” Sarah admits. “I was too on first day of kindergarten, remember Mommy?”

Darcy nods. “I sure do. You were a little green around the gills. That’s why we brought you here to get used to the classroom before you start day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Sarah’s attention is soon grabbed by a small bakery that has large beautifully decorated sugar cookies in the window. Darcy looks over the menu as Steve helps Sarah pick out a cookie, ordering three turkey sandwiches and two coffees for them to carry back to the tower. “Mommy look!” Darcy glances down to see Sarah carefully carrying a cookie about the size of her head to the cash register. Before she protest, Steve pulls out his wallet to pay for the food.

“You really didn’t have too,” Darcy says softly as the cashier passes them their food.

“I know,” Steve says just as softly.

The walk back to the tower is spent with the conversation filled mostly by Sarah, who devours her cookie and is just finishing her sandwich as the tower comes into view. Darcy’s eyes feast on her daughter and on her daughter’s joy as they walk but occasionally she looks to Steve too.

She has never seen him look more at peace.

Oh with the lives they are living, peace is never going to be a permanent thing for them. But for now, it’s enough.

-;

“A _public_ school!”

“You say that like it’s a dirty word,” Steve snorts.

“It is!” Tony insists dramatically. Sarah giggles from her place at the end of the counter, leaning into her mother’s arm. “And my poor Sarah, trapped with those...” Darcy can see the wheels turning in her brother’s head, struggling to find a word that could be lightly insulting so she doesn’t throw the loaf of unsliced bread sitting in front of her on the table at his head. “...low testing SATs to be.” He doesn’t duck the flying bread in time and it smacks him right in the face.

Steve laughs so hard he falls from his stool.

“Oh very funny Rogers!” Tony scoffs, wiping bread crumbs off of his AC/DC teeshirt. “Sarah, I apologize for your parents’ childishness.”

Sarah shrugs her shoulders, still giggling. “They’re silly, aren’t they?”

Darcy raises a brow. “You’re not gonna win this one big brother, might as well surrender now.”

Tony scowls but picks up the white dishtowel laying beside the sink and twirls it above his head. “Fine, I surrender.”

Sarah lightly leaps off of her stool, easily stepping over her father who still perches on the floor and wraps her arms around Tony’s waist. “Thank you, uncle Tony.”

Tony stares at the two of them over Sarah’s head for a half of a second. “For what, shorty?” Sarah smiles into his chest and Tony gently hugs her back. “Okay.”

The bread is picked up off of the floor and dusted off and Darcy begins to slice it into even pieces while Steve pulls out a large almost cauldron sized container of broccoli soup from the fridge. “How many people are joining us?”

“Pepper is in Boston until tomorrow,” Tony says. “Just Foster?”

“Nah, she’s still trapped in the labs with Banner,” Darcy says. “I will take them both some soup and bread later.”

Darcy liked being a scientist wrangler. That was the only plan she and her brother could eventually agree on, her working at the tower and doing PR for the Avengers while he paid for Sarah’s school. Darcy knew soon, _soon_ she and Steve would have to have that talk but for now, everything was just too good.

-;

Sarah officially turns six less than a week later and both Darcy and Steve have to shout down her brother on a large party. Sarah’s in a mopey mood for a while that day and Darcy can tell she misses her friends back in Maryland. Avengers pop by her apartment all day and drop off gifts, small ones and Darcy wonders if Steve had gotten to them first. When she questions him about it he readily admits.

“I just thought that the actual _spoiling_ should be done by the parents,” he offers with a wry smile and Darcy remembers why she fell in love with him all those years ago.

She lightly pinches his arm. “I like your style. So what did you get?” Steve leads her over to the broom closet on the other side of the apartment, hidden so far out of view Sarah would never think to look there. Inside on the top shelf is a beautiful one hundred piece art set along with a brand new sketch book. “Oh _Steve...”_

“Is it too much?” Steve asks and it occurs to Darcy that this is absolutely brand new to him.

Darcy shakes her head. “You’re gonna be tops in her book. Well, you’re already tops but now even more.”

Steve chuckles and Darcy finds herself swept into his arms in a brief and warm hug. He lets go of her too quickly and they would _still_ be standing there hemming and hawwing if Sam didn’t walk in at that moment.

Steve shoves the gifts back into the closet as Sam presents Darcy with a slim box wrapped in periwinkle blue paper. “I am stumped on what to get the kid even though I have five nieces of my own. So I remembered she liked elephants so I hope she’d get a kick out of this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a silver bookmark and it has a little blue elephant charm on the end. She can use it to mark her drawings maybe?”

“Sam, this is wonderful,” Darcy says, taking the box in her hands. “She’s going to love it.”

As Sam is leaving, the front door opens to reveal a charging Sarah, like a bull in a China shop. Steve quickly slaps the closet door shut and locks it before Sarah even notices. “Mommy, when’s dinner?”

“When’s dinner?” Darcy repeats. She looks at her watch. “You just got home from school, don’t you have homework to do, young lady?”

Sarah grins, knowing she’s licked. “What’s _for_ dinner?”

Darcy narrows her eyes, hands resting on her hips. “Well I don’t know shorty, your father is making it.”

She escapes then as Sarah rounds on Steve, laughing when she hears, “ _Traitor!”_

-;

 _“_ Mommy? Mommy, are you awake? _Mommy!”_

Darcy’s eyes fly open. “Wha-what?” Sarah’s standing beside her bed, a shit eating grin on her face. The room is still cloaked in darkness and when Darcy glances at the digital clock on her bedside table, the numbers 4:42 am glare back at her. “Sarah, what’s the matter?”

Sarah shakes her head. “Nothing. It’s my birthday!”

Darcy reaches up and clicks on the lamp. “Yes it is officially your birthday. Why did you wake me up before the stinking sun rose to tell me that?”

“Well, I just thought –“

“Young lady you are not getting any presents until breakfast, which isn’t for another three and a half hours.” She watches as Sarah’s lower lip juts out and lets out a sigh. “Do you want a cuddle?”

Sarah nods excitedly and leaps into bed, making sure to knee Darcy in the stomach in the process. As soon as she is settled under the crook of Darcy’s arm, she begins to yawn. Darcy rolls her eyes, gently running her fingers over her messy blond curls. “How many presents can I open at breakfast?”

“Well how about the ones from me and aunt Jane?”

Sarah’s next words are cut off by a yawn. “S-sounds nice.” And she’s asleep.

Darcy attempts to turn off the light and cannot reach due to Sarah’s weight pinning her down. “Ah hell.”

Sarah starts to snore in Darcy’s ear and true to her thoughts, she doesn’t get back to sleep until thirty minutes before her alarm goes off. Thankfully the coffee is already brewing when she manages to wrench her arm out from underneath Sarah and stagger out to the kitchen.

Jane’s already there, pouring two large cups and looking equally as exhausted as Darcy feels. “Late getting in?”

“Just now,” Jane admits and Darcy scowls. “Bruce and I lost track of time. I am going to go and pass out for about eight hours.”

“Have a snooze for me, will you?”

“Did Sarah have a bad night?”

Darcy shakes her head. “No, she woke me up at a quarter of five to ask for presents and when I told her no she flopped on my chest and didn’t move. I swear that child has her own method of torture.”

“You didn’t give in I see?” Jane nods towards the small stack of gifts on the dining room table.

“Nope. Now if she had used that on her father he would have folded like a deck of cards.”

Jane laughs, clambering to her feet. Sarah’s just coming out of Darcy’s room, her curls stuck up all over her head. The two grunt a good morning to each other and Jane’s bedroom door opens and shuts with a resounding thud.

Sarah’s eyes adjust and she sees the presents. For a second Darcy thinks the girl’s got wheels instead of legs and she manages to grab her child’s arm and steer her towards the kitchen table, away from the gifts. “Not yet young lady. You have to wait a little longer for getting me up at the buttcrack of dawn.”

Sarah pouts but does as she’s told, accepting the orange juice and the cornflakes her mother sticks in front of her. Her blue eyes light up when Darcy slides two small boxes with bows down onto the table beside her food and she glances at her mother, waiting for the punch line. At Darcy’s nod, the spoon clatters into her bowl, splashing milk onto the table as she tears into the first present.

“Is this from you?” Sarah asks.

“Yep.”

Inside the box is a set of butterfly barrettes, each a different pastel color. Sarah immediately pulls them out of the container and places one into her knotted hair. “Mommy thank you!”

Darcy smiles, looking over to see her phone discarded by the sink. She picks it up and shoots a quick text to Steve. He’d definitely be up. And true to her thoughts, the doorbell rings three minutes later.

“Are you okay with Steve being here?”

Sarah nods and Darcy gets up to let him in. To her great surprise and of course adoration he is holding a twelve pack of Dunkin Donuts donuts. “Boston crème pie right?”

“For me?” she gasps dramatically. “Why you shouldn’t have!”

Steve rolls his eyes, stepping past her. “Hi Steve!” Sarah greets, still examining her barrettes and getting ready to tear into the second gift. She still hadn’t called him ‘Dad’ or ‘Daddy’ and Darcy wasn’t expecting her to anytime soon. A guilty part of her didn’t think Steve had earned that title yet.

“Coffee?”

“Black please.”

Darcy pours a third cup, plopping it down in front of Steve before retaking her seat. “I have something worked out for this little monster who woke me up while the stars were still out.”

Sarah groans. “I’m _sorry.”_

“She’s going to earn those presents of hers. And she’s also getting to play hooky from school today.”

“Really?!”

“Really?” Steve’s eyes cut to her.

Darcy nods. “Yup. Your presents are hidden all over the tower but your uncle and I put together a maze you have to follow to get to them.”

Sarah’s eyes light up with excitement. “Mommy –“

“Your dad is going to be your guide so you don’t get lost. Friday cannot help you in any way, she can only take direction on where you want to go but she is programmed with a few clues.”

Steve raises his brows and Darcy hides a grin behind her coffee cup.

“So, young lady, this is your mission if you chose to accept it –“

“I do! I do!”

Darcy laughs. “All right once your breakfast is finished and you are out of your pjs you can get started.”

Sarah shovels the rest of her cereal into her mouth and takes off for her room. Steve turns wild eyes to Darcy. “Maze?”

“It’s your specialty, is it not?”

“What? No! Wait – _Darcy!”_

-;

“You’re definitely a Stark.”

Darcy looked out of the corner of her eye at her brother. “Excuse me?”

Tony waved at the security cameras in front of them. “Only a Stark could come up with something like this,” he says as Sarah jogs into view on the middle screen, cheering when she sees the wrapped box sitting on a small table by the floor to ceiling window.

“What, screwing with my kid?”

Tony chuckles. “Nah.” He doesn’t say anything else and Darcy doesn’t push but instead tries to ignore the warm and fuzzy feeling in her stomach.

Steve appears on the camera and Darcy’s breath quickens slightly, just enough for Tony to shoot her a strange look that she totally does not notice, keeping her eyes pasted to the screen even after Steve shepherds Sarah back onto the elevator. “Could you knock off the creepy staring thing? That usually gets a person tased.”

Tony stares at her, brown eyes wide with shock. “You’re still into him, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb, a big brother knows these things.”

Darcy scoffs. “You’ve been my brother for all of a month. Buzz off.”

He doesn’t push the subject further but Darcy can still feel his irritating side eye as the camera screens flicker and change to show Vision floating down another hallway. “Does he ever settle?”

“Sometimes,” Tony shrugs. “He doesn’t get in the way so I let him have free reign of the place.”

The elevator doors open again and Sarah charges off, looking around. _“Where’s the next clue?”_

Darcy smiles hard, biting down on her knuckle to keep from laughing. The next clue is a small bright pink index card taped on the outside of the elevator, easy to miss for everyone except one certain man.

“ _Right here, baby_ ,” Steve says, plucking the index card off of the elevator door. Darcy’s stomach swoops. “ _There’s just numbers on here.”_

 _“What do they say?”_ Sarah asks.

 _“Six, twelve, and three.”_ Steve looks up at the camera and raises a brow.

“Floor six, room twelve, locker three,” Darcy says to Tony. “He’ll figure it out.”

It’s like a light bulb goes on over Steve’s head and he gently nudges Sarah back onto the elevator. “ _I got it. Let’s go.”_

When they’re gone, Tony turns to her. “You know, he moped around here for months after coming back.”

“Tony –“

“I just thought you should know. And if you ever decided to –“

“We are not having this conversation,” Darcy’s voice is gentle but firm. “Please.”

“Okay, sorry.”

They’re quiet, watching the monitors for another moment despite nothing going on yet. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, kid.”

-;

Steve’s phone dings as they get off the elevator onto the sixth floor. He doesn’t think he was ever been on this floor actually, he notes as he looks around at the dozens of closed doors. Glancing down at his phone he sees a text message from Darcy.

_This is the last one._

“Room twelve, right Steve?” Sarah asks.

Steve nods, following Sarah down the short corridor to where the marked room lays. He tries the handle and it gives way immediately. Inside they find what looks to be almost a very large storage closet and a line of lockers on the opposing wall. Sarah walks over to the third one from the right and waits patiently for him to join her.

He pulls open the small metal door and finds a stuffed teddy bear with a light green bow around the neck with the tag reading _From Clint._

“Please tell me you like teddy bears?”

Sarah beams, snatching the toy away from him. “I do!”

“All right, this is the last one, it’s time to go home.”

She pouts a little but takes his hand before he even offers it. “This was so much fun. Was it fun for you, Steve?”

“Loads,” he admits with a smile. Any time spent with his daughter is time that he adores.

Sarah peppers him with questions on the elevator ride back up and he answers each one, doing his best not to submit to the headache that is starting to thud away behind his temples. But this is a good ache.

Darcy’s waiting for them when the doors open. “How’d we make out?”

Sarah holds up her latest prize. “We found everything!”

Darcy claps her hands together. “Little one, you have completed your mission?”

“Yes ma’am!” Sarah quickly hugs her mother. “Thank you Mommy!”

Darcy chuckles. “Go thank your uncle, he’s right in there.” Sarah slams the teddy bear into Darcy’s midsection and disappears, leaving the two of them alone. “Thanks for being her guide. She’s kind of exhausting when she’s excited, isn’t she?”

Steve shakes his head. “Nah I enjoyed every minute of it.”

“You look like you have a headache,” Darcy observes and Steve chuckles.

“A little bit.” Darcy’s fingers go up to brush a few strands of hair off of his forehead and quickly flinches away like she had been burned.

“S-sorry.”

The awkwardness is thankfully short lived as Sarah reappears. “Well I gotta go –“

“Understood, uh me too?” Smooth Rogers, really smooth.

The elevators swallow Darcy and Sarah up, who waves happily at him and it’s all he can do not to slam his fist into the wall. When he turns around, Tony’s standing there, the expression on his face clearly knowing and Steve’s really not in the mood to deal with this. So he flees, _again._

-;

The dishes from the birthday meal have been cleared and Darcy’s ready to rouse the drowsy child from her chair when Steve stops her. “I have another gift,” he whispers. “But I don’t know if she will understand just yet.”

“What is it?” Darcy asks.

Steve gently pulls her around the corner, out of Sarah’s eyeline. From his pocket he produces a small gold locket and inside is the only picture he had of Sarah Rogers. “Oh _Steve...”_

“I just thought that maybe...since you did –“ His voice is trembling with emotion and Darcy grabs his hand. “I feel like this isn’t the right time. Not yet.”

Darcy gently places the locket back into his palm, closing his fingers over it. “If that is what you feel, then hang onto it. But whenever you do give it to her, she is going to love it.”

“Thanks, Darce.”

She manages a tired smile. “You’re welcome.” She lets go of his other hand. “You wanna put her to bed while I finish cleaning up?”

“Yeah. Yeah I would.”

Darcy watches Steve gently gather Sarah into his arms, lifting her up like she weighs no more than a ragdoll. Sarah’s arms wrap around his neck and she rests her little head on his shoulder, eyes still shut as she dozes on. Darcy brushes away a stray tear that she almost doesn’t realize has fallen, busying herself with the dishes once again.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is heading into angst territory quite soon. I just wanted to do a chapter focusing on the Lewis-Rogers-Stark family because why not? Please leave reviews if you want the next chapter. Thanks loves.


	10. Alice

.

.

“Excuse me? Ma’am, you cannot go up there!”

Alice Lewis freezes at the voice, turning slowly on her heel to see a man in a security uniform standing there, hand on what seemed to be a stun gun attached to his hip. She mutters a curse in French under her breath. “My daughter must not have let you know I was on the way.” She fishes her ID out of her purse and presents it to the security officer. “I’m Alice Lewis. My daughter is Darcy Lewis?”

The officer’s eyes lit up at the name. “The boss’s sister? The boss’s sister who makes the most amazing pecan cookies I’ve ever tasted?”

Alice bursts out laughing. “Yeah that’s her. Uh, if you could let her know --?”

A few minutes later, the elevator doors open and her daughter steps off. Alice takes a minute to register the fact that her daughter is dressed in business clothes and her hair is tied back into an elegantly braided style. So...that’s new. But the moment that Darcy lays on her, she lets out a yell and darts right into her arms. “Mommy!”

Alice smiles through her tears, threading her fingers through Darcy’s hair. “Hello lovey.”

“Thanks Bob!” Darcy hollers over Alice’s shoulder, reaching down to grab up her bag without letting go of her hand. “You’re here early. I was going to pick you up at JFK tonight.”

“I know, I took an earlier flight to surprise you.”

“You sure did.”

When they are on the elevator, a voice that has no owner suddenly rings out. _“Back to your floor, Darcy?”_

“Yepper Friday!”

Alice raises a brow, looking around the lift. “What did I just hear?”

“That’s Friday, Tony’s AI. She does all the heavy lifting around here,” Darcy explains. “He used to have an AI named Jarvis but – well that’s a long story. I am so happy!”

Alice grins, eyes darting over Darcy’s form. “Care to explain?” she says, gently pulling on the lapel of Darcy’s jacket.

“Oh.” Her cheeks redden just slightly. “I am working as Pepper’s assistant. I still do slum work for Jane and force food down her throat when she goes into science comas but Tony and I worked out this deal. He pays for Sarah’s school and I work for Pepper.”

“And Pepper is?”

“I told you! She’s hopefully going to eventually possibly _maybe_ be my sister in law sometime in the next century. If Tony gets his head out of his ass and lets Pepper make an honest man out of him.”

Well, despite the difference in appearance, Darcy is still the same. Alice knew nothing would really change, seeing it for sure when the elevator doors open and a bouncing Sarah is there waiting for them.

“Grandma!”

Alice just manages to drop her jacket to catch the wriggling child in her arms. “Grandchild! I have missed you!”

Darcy grabs up Alice’s stuff, the three Lewis women managing to get off of the elevator and back to her apartment. Alice gasps softly when she sees the inside of the apartment, eyes wide as she takes in the high ceilings and the pristine fixtures. “Oh my...”

“Was it like this when you worked here?” Darcy asks.

Alice shakes her head. “I wouldn’t know. I worked in the offices, I never came here.”

Sarah pulls on Alice’s hand. “ _Bubbe_ , did you bring me anything?” She throws in a bat of her eyelashes for effect and Alice snorts.

“Sarah!” Darcy admonishes. “Your grandmother sent you a bunch of birthday presents just last month!”

Sarah grins guiltily. “Of course I did bring you something,” Alice chuckles, turning to unzip her suitcase and she pulls out a package of Sarah’s favorite hazelnut candies. “I hope this is okay?”

“Oh _please_ Mommy!”

Darcy sighs. “I cannot trump the power of the grandmother. But please eat them after dinner, okay? We’re having it in an hour.”

Sarah nods. “Okay, Mommy.” She holds the box in her hands for a moment and trots over to her mother, passing it to her. “You should hide these.”

Darcy bursts out laughing, putting the box on top of the fridge where Sarah cannot reach. “At least you’re honest. Thank your grandmother and then go finish your homework, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you _Bubbe!”_

Alice smiles, watching Sarah return to her room. “She’s certainly adapted to this.”

Darcy slides her jacket off and tosses it onto the sofa. “She has done far better than Jane and I,” she admits. “Oh Mom, _sit.”_ Both of them laugh as they settle onto the couch, Darcy’s fingers linked with hers. “I’ve missed you so much, Mom.”

“And you, baby,” Alice rests her other hand on her thigh, fingernails digging into the denim. “I’m gathering this is all going quite well,” she adds, gesturing to Darcy’s clothing again. “I miss the cable knit sweaters though.”

“No worries, I still have them all in my closet. Pepper put the codbosh on ‘street wear’ as she put it. No matter how much I whined and used the Sarah card, she wouldn’t hear it.”

“So, um, how is...” She worries her bottom lip, wondering just how she is going to get the words out but Darcy reads her mind for her.

“Tony or Steve?”

“You choose.”

For the next hour Alice is regaled with the happenings of life at the tower and everything in between. She’s already been told most of this over the many phone calls and Skype sessions they’ve shared, some with a ‘science-ing’ Jane wandering into frame on the screen but it’s nice. She likes listening to her daughter talk, especially now when she seems just so happy.

They forget dinner and Darcy has Friday order two large pizzas. “Pineapple on your half still?”

Alice slaps a hand over her heart. “Awww, you _remembered.”_

-;

The door flies open before Alice has a chance to get up from her chair. She steps back in surprise when Howard Stark – no _Anthony_ walks in. “Hey Darce – oh. Hello.”

Alice’s face colors. “Hi. Um Darcy’s not here, she went to pick Sarah up from school.”

“Shit, I forgot about that,” Tony casts a glance towards the door and Alice can tell he’s considering bolting. “You’re her mom, right? She told me you were coming to visit for a couple of days.”

Alice nods. “And you’re her brother.”

“That I am,” he agrees almost proudly and Alice chuckles.

“Darcy and Sarah should be back pretty soon if you wanna wait,” she says. “If not I have some reading I have to get back to –“

“Nah I’ll come back later. Thanks.” He goes to leave but stops at the doorway just as Alice settles back on the sofa. He turns to look at her, recognition in his brown eyes. “You caught me sneaking out of my father’s office. Twice.”

Alice doesn’t move, back still to the billionaire. “You were stealing some things to help with your experiments. He nearly had a rage when he realized you had taken whatever it was and your mother calmed him down.”

“So you stopped me the second time so he wouldn’t tan my hide,” Tony says, slowly walking around the front of the couch to look at her. His eyebrows hike further up his forehead as he takes in Darcy’s mother. “You saved my ass.”

Alice snickers. “When Darcy was sixteen, I caught her trying to make off with a very old antique ring that I had. My great grandmother brought it over from Germany in 1939. Darcy didn’t want to wear it, she just wanted to study the damn trinket for a while, she was so incredibly nosey and had to be told ‘no’ I don’t know how many times.” She draws in a breath, a wistful smile on her face. “She reminded me so much of you at that moment that I almost told her right then and there.”

Tony drops down onto the sofa beside Alice. “Then why didn’t you? I would have loved to have known her."

“Because her daddy had just died.” Alice sees the flicker of confusion on his face and hastens to explain. “My husband Charlie. She was trying to throw herself into many different things to ignore her grief. I couldn’t – I mean –“ her voice cracks. “I never found the courage to tell her. I knew the time was coming close, especially when I spotted her on the television helping Jane fight dark elves in London. Nearly sent me to an early grave right then.”

Tony laughs softly. “Yeah that sounds about right.”

“Every single year came and I went and I kept telling myself ‘This year I will tell her.’ She settled down _at last_ in Maine and got with – well with Captain America and she was happy. I came this close –“ she holds her index and middle finger a millimeter apart from each other. “And then he disappeared and Darcy found out Sarah was on the way.”

She stops, taking a long breath through her nose. When she speaks again, her voice comes out in a tremble. “I wasn’t going to tell her, Anthony. I really wasn’t.” Tony’s face falls. “But then Sarah started to grow and well...she had your chin.” Alice gently taps Tony on the chin, and he blinks in surprise stopping himself from flinching away. “Not this fuzzy crap though.”

Tony rolls his eyes, his own hand brushing at his beard. “It’s not _that_ bad.”

“Oh sure, sure,” Alice teases. “Thank you for letting my girls be a part of your life.”

“I should be thanking you,” Tony whispers. His jaw wobbles just so and he bites down hard on his lip, quickly clambering to his feet. “Thank you for bailing me out of trouble when I was a kid. And thank you for...ya know.”

Alice blinks hard against the shine of tears in her eyes, determined not to let them fall. She reaches up and tugs on his hand, pulling him back down onto the couch. “You’re not going anywhere. Not when I got about a million embarrassing stories to tell you about your sister.”

Tony laughs, clapping his hands together. “That sounds fantastic. Good ammo for the next time she puts oatmeal on my office chair.”

-;

“Access code, 4-12-36-18.”

“ _Override accepted.”_

Friday opens the door to his work area and he steps in. “Let me know if anyone comes in within the vicinity, all right?”

_“As you wish, boss.”_

Tony sheds his jacket hanging it over the back of one of the many wheeled chairs, walking over to the main computers and hitting a couple of buttons.

_“The blueprints for the Ultron Program are loading, boss.”_

Tony nods at nothing in particular, watching as the dozens of designs suddenly appear on the screen. He picks up the remote and presses another button. The golden neurons fly through the air, shifting into their little dance in front of him.

_“Are you sure you want to do this?”_

Tony bites his lip, heartbeat hammering in his ears. This program he had started, it had taken out Jarvis before he and Bruce shut it down. Those five years since...he had worked on it. He had pushed and pulled and found better ways to keep control. And if he could...then he could find a way to make this happen. True peace could be found in their time.

He wouldn’t have to worry every time Pepper walked out the door. He could sit back and watch his niece grow up. He could pester Darcy and Rhodey and just...be.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

-;

“ _We’re gonna see a show! We’re gonna see a show!”_

“We’re not going to see a show if you don’t cool your cucumbers, young lady.”

Sarah stops mid-skip and blushes. “Sorry Mommy.”

“Darcy Lewis! How dare you stop the child in the middle of her beautiful performance. Baby, please continue.”

Darcy glared at her mother, gesturing to her forehead. “I had to listen to Jane _and_ Tony _whine_ for the last three hours. I have a splitting headache!”

“And it’s going to be banging out a drum solo after we see West Side Story,” Alice says. “Are you sure you want to go to this?”

“I don’t really _want_ too,” Darcy whispers. “But Sarah’s counting on me so –“ A knock comes at the door, interrupting Darcy mid-tirade. “Friday, who’s there?”

_“It’s Captain Rogers, Ms. Lewis.”_

“Come in, Steve!”

Alice grabs Darcy’s arm. “Wait, baby daddy Steve?”

Darcy flushes. “Yes. Now be nice!”

“Nice? Why wouldn’t I be nice?” Alice asks. “I’m a princess, am I not?”

_“Mom.”_

The door opens and Steve peeks his head around, almost like he’s afraid something’s going to be thrown at his head. “Hi, uh, Darce?”

“ _Wow,”_ Alice nudges Darcy in the side, nodding at Steve. Darcy’s face heats up and a blush crawls up Steve’s neck. Of course he heard it.

Steve holds up a small plastic box. “I thought Sarah might like this.”

Inside the box Darcy sees a corsage made out of lavender roses and baby’s breath. “Oh Steve, she’s going to love it. Let me go get her, okay?”

When she disappears around the corner, Alice cuts her eyes to the clearly uncomfortable captain. Darcy had never let her meet Steve in the year they were together. She never saw a picture, she never even had an inkling of what the man looked like. She was expecting him to be made out of chocolate by the way Darcy went on and on in the first few weeks of their relationship.

But now, despite being incredibly attractive of course, Alice sees just a man. A good one too.

“I’m Alice.”

Steve stutters so much in his answer that she cannot help but laugh. “S-Steve, ma’am.”

“Pfft lose the ‘ma’am’, okay? Alice is fine.”

“Yes ma’am – I mean, Alice.”

Alice narrows her eyes and she can tell Steve feels like he’s underneath a microscope. She’s struck by how much Sarah resembles him. “Relax Steve, I’m not going to bite.”

Startled, Steve manages a weak laugh. “Sorry. This is all incredibly new to me.”

“To all of us,” Alice admits with a gentle smile. “Can I ask you two questions?”

“Uh, sure.” He definitely does not look _sure._

“You left because my daughter and Jane were in danger, correct?” He nods, remaining silent. “Are you going to leave again?”

_“No.”_

She believes him. Alice has always had the power to see if her daughter’s significant others were full of bullshit and maybe it’s a good thing that she never did meet Steve before.

“Okay,” she says and that’s it. There’s nothing else she can say. But he sees what she means in that one little word and that’s enough.

Darcy and Sarah choose that moment to come back out of the bedroom. Sarah’s decked out in a pale yellow dress, her butterfly barrettes pulling her curls off of her face. The little girl brightens immediately at the sight of her father. “Hi Steve!”

Steve goes down on one knee in front of his daughter, passing her the box. “A corsage for the lady?”

Sarah cheers happily, thanking him with a hug. Steve helps her pin the roses to the front of her dress and climbs to his feet just as words fly out of Alice’s mouth. “Steve, why don’t you take my ticket to the show?”

The glare that Darcy shoots her is lethal. “I think he’s a little busy. You are busy, right?” she adds, throwing the words at Steve like snowballs.

“Well actually –“

“That’s perfect!” Alice reaches over and snatches her ticket off of the table, slapping it to Steve’s chest. “Sarah, you’d like to go with your mom and dad, right? Not your old _bubbe.”_

“Yes! I mean –“ Sarah looks horrified at herself and Alice smacks a kiss to her granddaughter’s forehead and then to Darcy’s cheek before fleeing to the bedrooms, cackling happily to herself.

.

“I cannot believe she did that!”

“Should I go change?” Steve asks, glancing down at his jeans and sweater attire. “How fancy is this show?” He looks down at his ticket. “West Side Story?”

Darcy raises a brow. “Haven’t you ever seen this? What about the movie?”

“Movie?”

“Oh boy, we’ve got our work cut out for us, don’t we Sarah?”

Steve goes back to his apartment to grab a jacket and his wallet while Darcy fixes her makeup, telling an antsy Sarah to calm down at least six more times until her father returns. The Uber is waiting for them outside the tower. “The show is first,” Darcy explains. “And then dinner at –“

“McDonalds!” Sarah cheers.

Steve chuckles as he slides into the backseat, Sarah sandwiched between them. “Sounds good.”

The Uber drops them at the theatre a few minutes later and hundreds of people are already milling about. Darcy grabs one of Sarah’s hands and Steve takes the other, neither of them letting go until their tickets are checked and they are upstairs in Tony’s private balcony box.

“Whoa, look at the good eats!” Darcy exclaims when she sees the small table covered in cookies and other kinds of treats. She plucks what looks to be a coconut macaroon off of the tray and pops it in her mouth. “You can have two, Sarah. Don’t wanna fill you too up to the brim with junk tonight.”

Sarah grins, happily grabbing up a chocolate chip cookie and sitting down in the first seat. Darcy glances over the edge of the railing, gasping when she sees how high up they are. Perfect view of the stage too, which she wouldn’t have expected anything less out of her perfectionist brother.

Steve takes in their surroundings too, marveling at the beauty of the theatre. “Never had the money to do this when I was a kid.”

“Not even the shitty seats in the back?” Darcy asks.

“Nope.”

“Well Rogers, you’ve got quite the experience coming at you. Gonna pop your Broadway cherry,” she hisses with a playful smile and Steve rolls his eyes.

“Very funny.”

The orchestra starts tuning up. The lights dim a few minutes later and Darcy shoves Steve into his seat. She takes the one on the other side of Sarah, plopping herself down as comfortable as she can get.

The opening cords of the prologue begin and Darcy’s swept away.

The ‘America’ number is her absolute favorite and judging by Sarah’s delighted laughter at the sassing of Bernardo at the hands of his love Anita, it’s her favorite too. Darcy’s clapping along when the Shark girls join their boys in the final step sequence of ‘America’, ignoring the affronted looks she’s getting from the neighboring box.

Intermission flies by and before any of them know it, the show ends with the devastating finale. Darcy is so _not_ sniffling as she watches the actress that plays Maria follow the somber funeral procession out and right off stage. She also does _not_ yell “Encore! Encore!” as the actors come out to take their bows.

“So _mon capitan,_ tell me what you think.”

There’s a McDonalds not far away from the theatre and the light outside has not yet fallen from the sky so they walk the two blocks to the restaurant, Sarah still wedged between them.

“It was...” Darcy waits, brows raised as Steve mulls over what to say next. “...amazing.”

“Really?! Oh I’m so glad you liked it. This was always one of my favorites when I was little.” She looks down at Sarah. “Your turn, little lady.”

Sarah’s face crinkles in thought. “Um...I really liked it but –“

“But what?”

“Tony and Maria were kind of stupid.”

Darcy chokes on a laugh. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, they were _boring._ Do people fall in love that fast?”

Steve meets Darcy’s eyes over the top of Sarah’s head. “Nah. It takes some time for the real thing to kick in.”

“So, doesn’t that mean...it was infatashun?”

“Infatuation, you mean?” Sarah nods. “Yeah how did you get so smart?”

Sarah shrugs. “I read.”

“Wait, didn’t Jane read you the Little Mermaid last week?” Darcy asks. Steve nearly busts a gut laughing.

At the restaurant, it suddenly occurs to Darcy how freaking hungry she is. Sarah orders a chicken sandwich and a vanilla milkshake while she and Steve split two double cheeseburgers, a large fry and two apple pies. Sarah’s eyes widen dramatically at the sight of all the food they carry over to a booth in the far corner. “ _Wow.”_

As Sarah settles into her chair, Steve touches Darcy’s arm and pulls open his jacket. Darcy sees a copy of the West Side Story album sticking out of his inside pocket and he holds a finger to his lips. “You know I’m going to steal that, right?”

“Steal what?” Sarah asks.

“Nothing.”

As Sarah chews on her chicken sandwich, her forehead wrinkles in thought. “I really liked Nardo and Anita.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nods. “They reminded me of you guys.”

Steve chokes on his burger. “ _What?”_

“Well,” Sarah puts her sandwich down, wiping her mouth on the napkin her mother hands her. “You guys always pick on each other. But you’re not...mean.”

“We’re not?” Darcy kicks Steve under the table. “I mean, yeah we’re not.”

“You like each other right?”

The question is just so innocent but Darcy has never felt more put on the spot than in that moment. She sneaks a glance at Steve and finds he’s looking at her too. The words slip over her tongue then and she feels _relieved._ “Yeah baby, we do.”

“A lot,” Steve murmurs. He raises a brow and Darcy fights a grin.

Sarah seems satisfied with their answers, already moving onto her milkshake and not noticing Steve’s hand coming down to rest on top of Darcy’s on the table. Her thumb slides around to curl against his and they don’t move until Sarah asks for Steve to let her out of the booth so she can throw her food wrappers out.

The Uber is waiting for them when they walk out of the restaurant. Sarah sings ‘When You’re A Jet’ the whole way back and Darcy ignores the scandalized glances the driver sends them in the rearview mirror. “Babe you’re going to be singing that for about a week, aren’t you?”

Sarah nods happily. “Yep!” Then, it’s a like a wooden mallet hit Sarah over the head and she’s passed out in Steve’s arms a moment later.

“The adrenaline ran out,” Darcy chuckles as she helps Steve heave her out of the car when the Uber lets them off at the tower. “You got her?”

“Yeah I got her.”

Okay so there’s a warm fuzzy feeling starting to crawl into Darcy’s chest that she desperately tries to squash down as she follows Steve and Sarah into the building. Sarah’s arms wrap around her father’s neck and she smiles sleepily at her mother, snuggling her nose down into the crevice of his neck.

“Did you have fun, baby?”

Sarah nods tiredly. “I loved it, thank you. I like –“ she yawns softly. “ – being a family.”

And then she’s out like a light. Darcy clears her throat noisily and sneaks a glance at Steve. “Sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he murmurs. “Um Darcy –“ Whatever Steve is about to say is cut off by Friday opening the elevator doors to her floor.

“Um Darcy what?”

He lets out a breath through his nose, keeping one arm safely snug around Sarah as the other hand comes up to gently brush against her cheek. Damn those electric shocks again and judging by the way his eyes widen, Steve feels it too. “Thank you.”

-;

Steve smacks his head on the side of the elevator the whole way down to his floor. He continues to do so even after the doors open and it takes Friday making a noise to pull him from his ‘idiot reverie’ as Clint would call it.

Thank you? That’s all he could freaking say? Just... _thank you?_

Damn he’s an idiot. A big fat stupid idiot many times over.

He doesn’t notice the red box sitting on his kitchen table for almost twenty minutes. His jacket is discarded on the couch and he’s got coffee brewing when his tired eyes finally focus on the box.

“Uh Friday?”

_“Yeah Cap?”_

“What is that and who left it here?”

_“I don’t know what it is but Darcy’s mother left it here.”_

“You let her in here while I was gone?”

_“She asked nicely.”_

Steve rolls his eyes, pulling a coffee mug out of the cupboard to pour himself a cup before he approaches the box. “Can you scan it or something?”

_“I did. It’s nothing dangerous.”_

He pops the lid and inside he finds stacks of photographs, what looks to be folded child’s drawings, and three DVDs. Pulling out one small pile of photos, he immediately recognizes the smiling drooling face of what looks to be a six month old Sarah.

The coffee forgotten, he trails over to the sofa with the box in his hands. The photos are all of Sarah and Darcy, a few of an annoyed Jane mixed in there. Through the photo collection, he watches Sarah grow up from a tiny fat blond cherub to a short and skinny scrapper with skinned knees and absolute joy in her blue eyes.

Blinking back tears, Steve smiles at the drawings and sets them aside to pull the DVDs from the box. The first is marked ‘Sarah, age five, Christmas’.

He puts the DVD in and at first the camera is shaking and blurry. _“Mom, you really need to get to the 21 st century. Gimmee that!” _

The image clears and he laughs out loud at the sight of about twenty five year olds on risers wearing paper reindeer antlers and little red noses.

 _“Where is she – oh there she is.”_ Sarah stands on the lowest riser to the right, blond hair pulled up on top of her head in a bun and the red nose stuck to her own. She looks like she’s rather be anywhere than there at that moment. The teacher taps the edge of her music stand and the kids break into a very out of tune chorus of, wait for it, ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’.

The second DVD is marked plainly ‘Rosh Hashanah’. The camera is again shaky but it’s Jane’s voice this time. _“You got the matches for the candles, Darce?”_

He smiles as he watches the on screen Darcy swear out loud and slap a hand over her mouth in horror. “ _Sorry God!”_ Jane laughs out loud and he hears Sarah’s voice off camera chiming, _“Swear jar Mommy!”_

Darcy returns a moment later, passing the matches to Jane and taking the camera from her. “ _Turn that off, we cannot have that on while we say the blessing.”_ The screen goes black and then comes back on a second later, the scene having changed as Darcy is helping Sarah dip an apple slice into a small vat of honey. _“Good job!”_

Sarah cheers, stuffing the apple into her mouth. _“Happy new year!”_

The third has Sarah’s birthday scrawled on it in heavy black marker. Steve hesitates for a moment before putting it in, tears immediately spilling from his eyes when he realizes what he is watching.

 _“So we’re waiting here like an anxious_ bubbe, _to see the grandchild for the very first time. Mama and aunt Jane should be home soon and –“_ The front door to the apartment opens and Jane walks in first, holding a suitcase in her hands. She holds the door open as a still weak looking Darcy walks in, holding Sarah in her arms. _“Ooooh there they are!”_

_“Mom, really?”_

_“Well come on, I didn’t get to be there when she was born so let me have this.”_

Darcy rolls her eyes, lifting the snuffling Sarah up tighter to her chest. “ _What do you think?”_

_“Oh give her to me.”_

The camera clicks off and that’s it.

Steve leans his head to rest on the back of the sofa, a few more stray tears slipping down the sides of his face. He presses a hand to his mouth, trying to stop the trembling of his mouth and eventually giving in.

He’s not going to miss another second. Not of either of them, he swears quietly to himself. Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So West Side Story is my favorite musical. Bernardo and Anita were the best part of it. 
> 
> Awwww Steve and Darcy held hands! *heart eyes* I swear we are finally moving along in this torturous slow burn. 
> 
> And uh oh, what the hell is Tony doing? 
> 
> Leave reviews if you want the next chapter!


	11. Tony

.

.

_He moved above her, hips shifting and snapping into hers. His cock hit the deepest spot inside of her and she saw stars._

_“Steve,” she moans, sinking her teeth into his shoulder. “Steve...”_

_He lifts his lips from her throat to look at her, eyes heavily hooded. “Tell me what you want,” he murmurs, pulling out almost entirely and making her groan in annoyance._

_“Don’t tease me, you ass.”_

_He smirks and slides back in, grunting as she clenches as tightly as she can around him, not letting him sneak away. “As you wish, sweetheart.”_

_“Oh Steve...” Yeah she sounds a little bit like one of those horrible romance novels she read when she was sixteen and horny but who cares when she’s on the cliff of having one of the best orgasms of her life. “Steve, Steve, Steve...” she babbles._

_“Darcy...Darcy?”_

_“_ Darcy!”

“What?!”

Her eyes fly open and the object of her fantasies is standing in her office doorway. Her face immediately heats up and Steve raises a brow, and she wonders if he knows exactly what she was fantasizing about moments before.

“Hi?” _Real smooth, Lewis._ Shaking her head and moving some papers around, she attempts to her get her bearings but she can see Steve isn’t buying it. “What’s up?”

“I’m going to get Sarah from school, do you wanna come with me?”

“Nah I have a lot of work I need to finish up here,” she says, waving haphazardly at her computer. “Bring me back a coffee?” she asks hopefully.

Steve smiles and her pulse speeds up. “Always.”

And then he’s gone before she can even utter another semi-coherent thought. Darcy groans, letting her head fall to her desk with a thud. “What is wrong with _me?”_

_Beep beep beep._

Looking up, she sees a black box filled with numbers appear on her laptop screen. _3, 12, 8 –_ and then it’s gone.

What the hell?

Darcy’s fingers go to the keys and she starts typing. The last thing she needs is a virus or someone trying to hack into their system. Pepper had told her the last time someone had hacked into their computers, the tower had been black for two weeks.

Her hands easily move over the keys and she follows the little black box, finding the storage device hidden deep within the system. The access code is there and she enters the numbers. The program opens and she lets out a gasp.

_“Pepper, Pepper get in here now!”_

Her boss flies around the corner, gasping as she slumps against the door frame. “What is _it?”_

Darcy gestures wordlessly to the computer screen and Pepper darts to where she is. Her eyes settle on the screen and her face colors a brilliant red. “He _didn’t.”_

“Did what? What am I missing here --?” Darcy doesn’t have time to finish her sentence as Pepper is grabbing her by the arm and yanking her from her chair. “What is going on?”

“C’mon, we’re going to kill an Avenger.”

-;

Rhodey heard the scuffling when he got off the elevator, quickly going on alert when he hears Tony’s voice groaning in pain.

_“Say it!”_

_“You know, I can easily get out of this – ow!”_

_“Stark, just say it!”_

Rhodey raises a brow, following the voices to the end of the hall where Tony’s private lab lay. Friday lets him in before he even opens his mouth and the sight before him is, well, quite a sight.

Tony’s flat on his face on the floor, Darcy and Pepper sitting on him with Natasha and Jane standing on either side. Rhodey guesses this is for back up in case his stupid best friend, who obviously did something really stupid, manages to escape. Darcy grabs a handful of dark hairs at the back of Tony’s scalp, giving them a light yank while Pepper curls her arms around his legs in a tight hold.

“What do you all want? Money? Liquor – _ow!_ Watch it, Darcy, those hairs are priceless!”

“Well get ready for your first bald spot, Anthony Edward Stark,” Pepper growls. She brightens when she spots Rhodey standing there. “Hello, James!”

Rhodey raises both brows so far up his forehead they are in danger of disappearing into his hair. “What the hell is going on?”

“Oh nothing,” Darcy says cheerfully. Pepper pinches Tony’s leg and he whines again, struggling in vain to wriggle free. “My brother has decided to bring the Ultron program back and we’re just trying to talk him out of doing it.”

Rhodey’s jaw drops and he stares at the back of his friend’s head. “Are you an idiot?!”

“If I could just explain –“ Tony tries, nose digging into the concrete floor. “There’s a plausible explanation for this but I kind of can’t breathe so –“ Darcy loosens her grip on his hair and he lifts his head up. “Okay, I’ve been working on the program for the last three years, getting the bugs out –“

“Bugs?!” Natasha growls dangerously. “Stark, this isn’t a used car. That _thing –“_ she points to the computers along the wall. “ – killed Jarvis!”

“I know that!” Tony snaps. “Could you – seriously, the two of you need to let me up and I will tell you everything.” Pepper and Darcy look at each other apprehensively. “Scout’s honor, I’m not going to try anything.”

“He won’t,” Rhodey says lowly. He falls into place beside Jane, folding his arms in front of his chest.

Tony clampers to his feet after Darcy and Pepper climb off. Rhodey notes how he immediately looks for his exits and they are each blocked so he exhales a heavy breath and plunges into his explanation. “I kept the codes from the scepter, I didn’t destroy them like I told Thor I would.”

“How could you even -?” Jane begins but Pepper holds up a hand to silence her.

“I _thought_ that I could fix the problems. Alone. I didn’t involve Banner this time, I didn’t try to involve Foster or anyone else. If I couldn’t make the program work the right way I was going to destroy it and never touch it again. But I did. I got it this time and I _know_ I can make the Ultron program succeed.”

Rhodey winces. He almost feels sorry for his stupid, stupid friend because he seems so earnest. And he tries so hard but if the nitwit would just _talk_ to the rest of them –

“I want it to succeed. I can make it so all of us can be at peace. The world can exist and thrive and grow without having to worry about another attack. The Avengers can retire and live regular lives. I can marry you, Pepper,” he adds and a sliver of emotion crosses Pepper’s face. “I can watch my niece grow up,” he says this time to Darcy. “She _can_ grow up.”

Darcy bites her lip, gazing at an interesting crack in the floor. Pepper makes a tiny noise, stepping forward. “That’s just it, Tony,” she says softly. “You _don’t_ know if this will work.”

“But –“

 _“No._ That thing killed Jarvis. And if you try to put Friday in there, it will kill her too. There is no way you are going to be able to control that kind of power except by shutting it down and throwing it into the New York Harbor.”

“I can’t do that,” he says firmly.

Rhodey groans. “Yes, you can.”

“Rhodey, stay out of this.”

“That’s not going to happen,” he nods at the computers. “Darcy, you can wipe the program onto a thumb drive, right?”

“Wait – “

Darcy nods. “Yeah, I can do that. It will take some time though.”

“Darcy, _don’t –“_

“Then I will get into my suit and drop it into the Harbor,” Rhodey muses.

“That’s not going to happen!” Tony growls. “This _will_ work!”

“Then why didn’t it work the first time?!” Darcy spits. That gets everyone’s attention and her brother stares at her. “Not to inflate your ego or anything but you are fucking brilliant. You don’t make little mistakes. If this program was going to work, it would have the first time.”

That does something. Tony considers her words, face flushing a deep crimson. “That’s not...”

“Using a doombot to ‘protect’ everyone, Tony...” Natasha says gently. “There are other ways. Especially when this thing begins to think for itself and refuses your orders. You have no idea what could happen. It could take out Friday, it could run loose and cause so much havoc.” 

Tony nods and Rhodey knows the battle is won. “I just...I want everyone to be okay.”

“And we will be,” Pepper steps forward, taking his hand. “We will figure it out. We always have.”

With a shaky sigh, Tony pulls a small disc from his pocket and tosses it to Darcy, who catches it cleanly in one fist. “Those are the backup codes. There’s a thumb drive in the desk.”

Darcy gets right to work, passing the disc to Rhodey. “Break it into a million pieces and _then_ drop it in the harbor.”

“Roger that.” He snaps the disc in two.

-;

It takes her nearly an hour to wipe the whole system, Friday showing her the way to where three other sets of backup files were hidden. She doesn’t realize when everyone else slowly shuffles out of the private lab, leaving her alone with her brother.

“Got it!” she cheers, sliding the thumb drive out of the outlet. “Jane – Jane?”

Tony’s slumped in a chair in the corner, staring at a point at the wall that Darcy cannot see. The lights are off in the hallway and the only light comes from a single bulb that hangs above where she sits, casting in the room in an ominous shade. “Where’d everybody go?”

Tony still gazes at the wall. “Out. I told them to go.”

Darcy groans inwardly. “Tony –“

“ _Don’t,_ Darcy,” he whispers. “Just don’t.”

Darcy looks down at thumb drive in her hand. This little tiny piece of plastic was about to wreck havoc on the world. She swallows at the bile in her throat, pushing it down and struggling for a short breath. Darcy shoves the thumb drive into her jacket pocket, walking over to where he sits and kneeling beside the rickety chair.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” he whispers after a long time. Darcy remains quiet, waiting. “I was perfectly content being the billionaire playboy. And then all of _you_ happened.”

“All of us?” Darcy repeats.

“Rhodey. Pepper. _You._ And the kid,” he mutters. “I had a...f-f-family.”

Darcy nods. “Yeah, you do.”

“So I did what I thought was right. I used my abilities to protect them. I made a suit for Rhodey, I have one in development for Pepper –“ Darcy’s ears prick up at that. “And I _thought...”_

She grabs his hand, holding it tightly in both of hers. “That’s not exactly how it works though.”

“Then tell me,” Turning his gaze to her at last, his brown eyes are almost wild. “Tell me how it works.”

“ _We_ protect,” Darcy points to her chest. “ _We_ know how to do that. A machine with a man-made mind does not.”

He shakes his head, voice thick. “I know. I know.”

“Hey, look at me.” She taps his chin. “ _Look_ at me.” He turns back to her, eyes resting on their joined hands. “What started all of this?”

A breath leaves his nose. “When your mother was here –“

“Wait, you’re not blaming this on my mother, are you?”

Tony scowls. “ _No._ Shut up for a second.” Darcy falls silent. “I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since you and the kid showed up. Nothing was wrong. The Avengers weren’t getting called anywhere, low level missions that didn’t even take us out of the city and we were... _okay_. And I thought, why not keep it that way? When your mother told me about you and Jane fighting those elves in London and being terrified, I suddenly realized that that could happen again.” At Darcy’s confused look, he hastens to explain. “That one day, it could be you out there again and I’d be stuck somewhere on the other side of the earth and I wouldn’t be able to get to you. That other shoe? I didn’t want it to drop.”

Oh. _Oh._

Darcy leans forward and rests her chin on her brother’s shoulder. His hand comes up, lightly patting her on top of the head like she’s a golden retriever and she smiles, batting the hand away. “I cannot promise you that nothing is going to happen.” She licks her lips, searching for the right words that just don’t want to come. “But I can promise you that I am going to do my best not to let anything happen to me. Or to Sarah. I’m her mother; it’s my job to protect her.”

“I know that, Darce. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty or anything,” Tony says quickly.

“Hey,” she tightens her grip on his hand. “We’re going to be fine, Tony. Somehow, someway,” she adds for effort and the corner of his mouth turns up in a weak attempt at a smile. “I love you, big brother.”

Darcy wonders for a moment if she had just fucked it all up when Tony’s face softens. His fingers gently stroke her temple and she sinks against him, feeling his cheek resting on the top of her head. “I love you too.”

-;

“Wow.”

“You can say that again.” Darcy takes a long draft from the coffee Steve had brought back for her. She didn’t get back to the apartment for quite some time so the coffee had to be warmed up in the microwave. “Don’t say anything to him or to Pepper or to _anyone_ as a matter of fact. I think everything’s okay now.”

“Are you sure?” Steve asks her apprehensively.

Darcy nods. “Yeah. Well actually,” she bites her lip. “I do have something I wanted to talk to you about.” Steve’s silent, waiting. “I want to do more to protect Sarah,” she says after a long while. “Can you train me?”

“Train you?” Steve repeats.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want too. It’d be awkward training your baby mama but –“

“ _Darce.”_ She falls silent, biting her lip. “Of course. I’d be happy too but can you, well, do that?”

“Hey!” Darcy protests, offended. “I may be little but I bite hard. And don’t forget -” She pointed to the closet where she kept her taser. “There’s always that too.”  

Steve snorts. “All right. But leave the taser at home.”

“You got it, Cap.”

Sarah comes trailing out of her room, carrying a notebook in her hands.  “Can you guys look at this?”

Darcy looks down to see addition and subtraction tables on the page. “Ew. Math.”

-;

Darcy enters the gym with apprehension that following Sunday morning. She’s all great with tasing things but punching? Kicking? Getting sweaty and gross? Yeah...no. Also, Steve wanted to meet at seven in the freaking am so she was a little irritable over that.

All right, where was he? If she got out of bed at six then he better –

“Hey!”

Darcy squeals, whirling around and pressing a hand to Steve’s chest, groaning as she catches her breath. “Do _not_ sneak up on a girl in super stealth mode. I think I just peed a little.”

Steve chuckles. “Are you ready to get to work?”

Darcy agrees and before she knows it, she finds herself doing leg stretches and other assorted things to herself to warm up. Her body doesn’t bend that way, never has but when Steve’s hands gently come down to rest on her thighs, she feels like goo.

Oh yeah, this is not good.

“Okay, ye olde torturer,” Darcy pants, climbing to her feet and trying to shake out the mushy feeling from her knees. “What’s next?”

Steve lays a hand down her shoulder and dread climbs in Darcy’s stomach. “Laps.”

“ _Nooooo.”_

He must like doing this to her, Darcy notes as she makes her way around the track. She’s glad she remembered Jane’s advice on wearing two sports bras because her boobs would be knocking her in the face right about now.

“Come on Rogers, when I can hit something?” she whines after finishing the second lap.

“Take five –“

“Ten.”

“ _Five._ And then you can hit something.”

Darcy claps her hands together and nearly falls on her face. “Goody!”

She watches Steve ready the punching bag that hangs in the far corner of the gym as she pants like a dog, struggling to catch her breath. She suspected Steve was going a little easy on her, she could only imagine what Natasha or Sam would do if they were here.

Steve flicks his fingers at her in beckoning and Darcy attempts to stand, knees knocking together. This is why she always had her period four times a month when she had gym class in high school.

“Do you want gloves or tape?” Steve asks her when she manages to stagger over.

“Uh which would help me better? Tape probably since I doubt I can get my hands on a pair of gloves if someone tries to attack, right? I mean unless I carry them with me but they would take up a lot of space in my bag so –“ She’s babbling again and she can feel her face start to heat up as Steve regards her, amused.

He wraps the white tape around her hands, fingers brushing occasionally against her wrists. “All right, I’m going to show you how to do simple punches – I know it’s boring but –“ he interrupts, holding up a hand to stop the complaint gathering at her lips. “ – always start simple and work up so you don’t get hurt.”

 _Keep thumb outside of fist, wrap thumb around second and third knuckle,_ bla bla bla, she knows all of this. The punches she delivers to the bag are clean and Steve looks impressed. “All right you win.”

He pulls the tape off her hands and pulls her fingers out straight, examining the digits. A couple of bruises are already forming on her knuckles but she barely feels the ache. Steve shakes himself out of the reverie he had sunk into and lightly pulls away. “I’m going to teach you how to block certain punches, okay?”

Darcy nods wordlessly. She lifts her fists again, taking heed of Steve’s instructions on what to do with her feet. He softly taps her the first two times and she manages to block the third punch and then the fourth. He’s going so easy on her and it’s starting to piss her off.

“Come on, really let me have it!” she shouts, startling him.

“Darcy, I am not going to hit you!”

“Just try!” Darcy cries, shoving at his chest. “Listen, how am I going to be able to ever learn how to protect my daughter like this?!”

She shoves at his chest again and he peels her hands away. “You’re not going to have to protect her alone, Darcy.”

“Yes, I do!” Darcy feels a wave of emotion threatening to take her down. “It’s my job!” She slams into him one more time and her foot slips on the mats. Her dignity is of course, quite gone when they both fall to the floor, her on top of him.

The sudden impact makes them both gasp. Darcy blinks, realizing she had effectively pinned Steve right to the floor. This was easy on Tony, he had little chicken arms. “Whoohoo! I did it!”

Steve stares up at her, almost amused. His hands wrap around her wrists and Darcy doesn’t have time to yell as they suddenly change positions and her back is pressed against the mats, Steve looming over her. “You were saying?”

Darcy gapes for just a second, slapping a playful smile on her lips. “Now that’s more like it.”

They stare at each other for what seems like an eternity, Steve’s familiar weight pressed against her. Darcy’s hand pinches his bicep, gently tapping against his shoulder as her chest rises and falls in heavy breaths.

“Steve –“ She doesn’t have time to say anything when his mouth closes over hers.

The kiss is long and oh so _right._ His teeth gently nip at her bottom lip, nose bumping against her cheekbone. Darcy sighs, arms coming up to wrap around his neck.

When they break apart for air, it’s then that Darcy realizes what just happened. She makes a small noise and they pull away, practically to opposite sides of the mat. “’m sorry.”

Steve shakes his head, looking everywhere but at her. “Uh, I think that’s enough training for today.”

She flees then without another word, face reddened with embarrassment and pain.

-;

Steve shows up at the apartment later.

Darcy’s showered and wearing jeans and a soft sweater with her wet hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. Sarah’s sitting at the table scribbling away at her art pad, homework finished about an hour ago.

“Hey,” she whispers when the door opens to reveal him. “Come in.”

“Hi, Steve!” Sarah waves.

“Hi baby,” Steve looks back at her. “Can we talk somewhere in private?”

She leads him to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. “What’s up?”

Steve shoves his hands deep into his pockets, again looking everywhere but at her. “I talked to Sharon. She will take over your training for as long as you want.”

Darcy raises a brow. “Oh! Well, uh – I had just gotten off the phone with Natasha before you got here and –“

“You asked her?”

“Yeah. That’s okay though, the both of them can teach me things that I never even dreamed. I mean, have you seen those girls fight? They are badass.”

Steve chuckles. “Yeah, yeah they are.” He regards her sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Darcy shakes her head. “You don’t owe me that.”

“Yeah I do,” he insists. Darcy sighs. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. It wasn’t right and –“

“Steve, I was just as willing as you were. _Please_ don’t –“

“I won’t –“

“You can’t –“

They both fall silent, the sadness heavy. “I’m just...” The words stick in Darcy’s throat. “...not ready yet.”

Steve nods, wiping a hand down his face. “I’m going to go. Tell Sarah I’ll be back later for dinner.”

“Steve –“ Her hand catches his, their fingers twining together. She stands up on her tiptoes, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

He smiles at her, eyes soft. “Whenever you’re ready.” And he’s gone, the unsaid words hanging heavy in the air.

_I’ll be waiting._

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!


	12. Accident

.

.

“ _Pay attention!”_

Darcy lets out a grunt as she face plants into the mats for the third time in less than an hour. Her hair flops over her forehead in a sweaty pile and she exhales a loud breath into it. “I _am_ paying attention, warden.” When she looks up, Sharon is smiling evilly at her. “Are you this mean to all of your students, Carter hyphen Wilson? Or am I a special case?”

“Oooh full name. She means business, Sharon,” Natasha chuckles from across the gym.

Darcy flips her the bird and clampers to her feet, ignoring the redhead’s laughter. She lifts her hands into fists again, spreading her feet shoulder width apart. Sharon matches her movements and strikes out, aiming for her right clavicle. Darcy blocks the blow and grabs Sharon’s wrist with her hand, twisting hard. The blonde hisses, kicking a leg out to swipe at her feet but misses. Darcy takes hold of Sharon’s toes and pulls up, causing the blonde to fall right on her ass.

The three of them freeze for a split second and Darcy lets out a yell of success. “Yes! Yes!” She does a happy dance, not giving two shits about the amused stares the two agents are giving her. “I did it!”

Sharon groans from her spot on the floor, accepting the hand that Natasha offers her. “Very good, Lewis. You’re learning.”

“Learning?!” Darcy spits, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I kicked your butt Blondie! Admit it! I beat your –“ _SLAM._ Darcy chokes on her own breath when her back meets the mats, Sharon smirking down at her. “ – ass.”

Maybe she did get lucky. But yeah, she’s learning.

-;

“What the hell happened to you?”

Darcy winces, doing her best to make her throbbing legs cooperate with her as she limps around the lab. “Sharon and Nat ganged up on me.”

Jane raises a brow in confusion. “They what?”

“They ganged up on me, Janey!” she whines dramatically. “They beat me up!”

“They really did a number on you, huh?”

Darcy slides into a stool beside Jane’s workstation. “Ow, ow, ow, yeah they did. I suppose it’s best though. No enemy will go easy on me.”

Jane hums in agreement, bowing her head back over the doohickey she was attempting to fix. They both jump when a few sparks go off and Darcy manages to climb off of her stool and retreat to the other side of the room. She wasn’t too keen on losing her eyebrows today.

Jane continues to tinker at the small doodad in front of her. Darcy watches from her safe space across the room, looking over her shoulder when she hears the _whoosh_ of the doors opening. Bruce stands there for a second, eyes wide with shock. “Jane! What do you think you are doing?”

Darcy gapes. She has never seen Bruce so alarmed before and she briefly wonders if the big green dude is about to make an appearance. Jane barely bats an eye at Bruce’s outburst, continuing to finagle with whatever she is working on. She mutters some science mumbo jumbo that Darcy doesn’t understand and then they are all leaping out of the way as the machine explodes.

“Wait!” Jane tries to scramble back towards the sparking doodad. “Wait, it’s working! Let me –“

Darcy manages to grab Jane around the middle and pull her around, her body shielding the smaller scientist’s as the blast hits her right in the middle of her back. Bruce roars out a helpless “ _No!”_ and Darcy knows no more.

-;

_“Boss, there’s been an incident.”_

Tony looked up from his tablet. “Incident?”

He can hear the AI hum. “ _An explosion in the labs downstairs. Dr. Foster’s experiment. Your sister was there. She’s been hit.”_

The tablet falls from Tony’s fingers and to the floor, cracking down the middle but he doesn’t care. “Is she all right?”

 _“Her vitals are strong but she hasn’t woken up yet –“_ Tony’s up and out of his chair before Friday finishes the sentence.

He forgoes the elevators and takes the stairs to the med wing where he sees Darcy being rolled in on a gurney. His stomach rolls at the sight of the blood on her face and he paws at his phone in his pocket, yanking it out with such force it nearly flies out of his hand.

Steve had left early that morning for Albany to meet with the governor and he had taken Sarah with him.

_“Hey Tony, I’m kind of busy right now –“_

“You need to come home, like _now_.”

Steve swallows noisily in his ear. _“What is it? Attack? Is Darcy --?”_

“There’s been an accident. One of Foster’s experiments blew up and Darcy was hit. She’s...okay I think but –“

 _“I’m on my way.”_ The line goes dead.

Tony replaces the phone in his pocket and strides into the med bay. A team of white coats are pouring over Darcy’s prone form and Helen’s taking vitals again, brows pinched together in confusion. “How is she?”

“She’s got a couple of bumps and deep bruises from hitting the floor,” Helen nods. “Her vitals are strong and there doesn’t seem to be any internal damage. Which is surprising because from what Dr. Banner told me, it was quite the blast.”

Tony doesn’t spare a glance at the tearful Foster standing at the foot of the bed, reaching over to gently take Darcy’s hand in his. “Hey kid, can you hear me?”

A nurse fixes a butterfly bandage over an open gash above Darcy’s brow, gently wiping away the last few smears of blood. Darcy sleeps on, oblivious to his touch or anything around her. Tony swallows a lump in his throat and turns to Foster, fixing his face in what he hopes is a mask of menace.

“What the _hell_ were you thinking?”

“I’ve done this many times before!” Foster defends. A few helpless tears leak from her eyes. “She wasn’t supposed to be there!”

“The experiment wasn’t supposed to have those effects,” Bruce says casually from his corner of the room. “Could have happened to anybody.”

“But it happened to you! Darcy’s in the labs all the damn time!” Tony growls, shaking a finger in Jane’s face. “My sister could have been killed!”

“It’s Darcy choice to be there and I am not going to tell her what to do! And it was her choice too –“ Jane’s voice cracks and Tony almost feels a sliver of sympathy for the young woman. “ – to save me.”

_“That’s...r-right.”_

All three of them turn at the voice. Darcy’s eyes are still closed but her mouth turns up in a weak attempt at a smile and Tony’s heart rate begins to calm.

A sob falls over Jane’s lips and she practically body-checks the nurse to grab Darcy’s hand. “Oh _Darcy,_ what were you thinking?”

“I was th-thinking...” Darcy licks her chapped lips. “That I had a st-stupid s-scientist I n-needed to wa-watch out f-for.”

A few more tears streak Jane’s cheeks as she laughs. “Always and forever right?”

Darcy manages a nod. “You bet.”

Helen makes a ‘shoo’ motion with her hands. “Everyone out, let her get some rest while we finish patching her up.”

Bruce manages to pry Jane away from Darcy and drags her from the med bay. Tony walks over to the bed, lacing his fingers through Darcy’s. “Stop being the hero, kid.”

“Takes one to kn-know one,” Darcy smiles tiredly. “Call Steve?”

“Already did. He’s on the way back with Sarah.”

Darcy yawns, eyes falling closed. “Th-that’s good.” A small snore escapes her lips and Tony smiles, leaning down to press his lips to her forehead.

“Mr. Stark, you should go,” Helen says gently. “Darcy will be fine.”

He leaves hesitantly after popping another soft kiss to Darcy’s forehead. “I’ll be back later.”

-;

She wakes up to tiny hands stroking her face.

Her eyelids feel like they are made of sandpaper, burning as she attempts to blink and clear the sludge from her eyes. Sarah comes into focus a moment later, pink lips spread out in a big smile. “Steve, Mommy’s awake!”

Darcy’s gaze flickers to where Sarah had directed the words and she sees a tower of muscle suddenly stepping out of the darkness. Her stomach swoops at the sight of Steve’s face and she reaches out a hand that he takes gently in his large one. “Hey there. You gave us quite a scare.”

“How did you get here so quickly?” she mumbles. “What happened to the governor?”

Steve snorts. “Governor Cuomo can wait.”

Darcy sighs, letting her eyes fall closed as she breathes in the sterile hospital room air. “I want to get out of here. I wanna go home.”

“Are your boo-boos better?” Sarah asks.

Darcy takes Sarah’s hand and smacks a kiss to the back of it. “All better. I just wanna go home.”

“Let me go get Helen, okay?” Steve makes for the door, stopping briefly when his fingers touch the handle. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Darcy’s laugh turns into a wince. “Where am I going to go?” She looks back at Sarah when Steve is gone. “You have to tell me all about your trip. Did you meet the governor?”

Sarah nods, eyes lighting up. “I did! He was really nice. I didn’t talk to him much, he wanted to talk to Steve more.”

“I’m sure. I hope you weren’t bored though.”

“Nah, I wasn’t. Mr. Cuomo made his helper person take me exploring around his house.”

Darcy’s eyebrows rise. “You got to run around the governor’s _mansion?”_

Sarah grins. “Yes! It was sooooo cool!”

Before Darcy can badger her daughter any more, Steve walks back in with Helen. “Hi Darcy, how are you feeling?”

“Like I wanna get out of here,” Darcy answers. Helen runs the thermometer over her forehead and pulls the blood pressure cuff off of the wall. “All good?”

“Your blood pressure is a little high,” Helen glances at her watch. “That’s strange, you’ve never had hypertension before, have you?”

Darcy shakes her head. “No, never. I am the epitome of health.” Steve snorts and she shoots him a dirty look. “At least I try to be.”

“Tell that to the bag of cheddar popcorn you inhaled the other night.” Darcy sticks her tongue out and Steve grins. Relief shines back in his eyes and Darcy briefly wonders how bad this accident really was.

Helen turns her loose thirty minutes later with a promise to come back later in the week to let her check her blood pressure. “Until then, not too much caffeine and lots of rest!” Helen hollers after them as Darcy practically flees from med bay.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Steve asks her on the elevator ride up. Sarah’s wedged between them, her arm wrapped around Darcy’s waist. “The labs are...”

“What?”

“Ruined,” Steve admits. “Tony’s already got construction in there.”

Darcy stares for a moment, heart hammering in her chest. “Can I --? I – Friday, can you take us to the labs?”

“ _The floor is mostly blocked off, Darcy. I can bring you there but you cannot get off the elevator.”_

The doors open a moment later and Sarah covers her mouth and nose with her hand. “It stinks.”

That it did.

The whole floor wasn’t burned out of course but the labs that Jane, Bruce, and Tony frequented were a mess. The explosion had been much bigger than Darcy realized and the whole room was on the way to being gutted. Broken light fixtures hung from the ceiling and glass was shattered all about. The main tables were gone and the sinks were somewhere on the other side of the room.

“Jesus, Darce,” Steve mutters.

Darcy grabs Sarah’s hand, gripping it so tightly the girl hisses. “Let’s go home. I want to go home.”

The doors close and the box rises again. The family almost doesn’t notice when they are brought back to Darcy and Sarah’s floor, Friday making a noise to bring them out of their reverie.

Steve walks them to the door and Darcy catches his hand, her other one still wrapped around Sarah. “Can you stay?”

He blinks several times before swallowing hard. “Of course.”

-;

Darcy isn’t sure what time it is when she wakes up later. Sarah’s wedged up beside her in the bed, her little mouth open and dribbling drool all over Darcy’s shoulder. Steve’s on the other side, the slow rise and fall of his chest telling her he is asleep.

She slowly swings her legs off the bed, searching for her slippers that she had discarded yesterday before collapsing onto her bed. The digital clock on her nightstand reads 7:32 am. The _fuck_...

When she stands up, a wave of nausea hits her as well as the fact that her knees must be made of jello. The pain killers have obviously worn off and a dull ache begins to spread across her shoulders and down her back.  

She staggers drunk like into the bathroom, leaving her family still sleeping soundly on the bed. After shedding her clothes into a pile on the floor, Darcy steps under the hot spray of the shower, moaning softly in pain as the heat slices into her still torn flesh. The bandages on her neck and hands are worked off by the water and fresh blood trickles down her skin. A few hot tears sneak out of her eyes and her teeth sink into her bottom lip to stem back a whimper.

After the rusty brown color disappears from the water, Darcy turns off the shower and grabs a towel off the nearby rack. She wipes some steam off of the mirror and takes stock of the marks and bruises all over her body. A deep gash still lines her forehead and she briefly wishes she had Steve’s accelerated healing. “I look like I’ve been through a wood chipper.”

She digs a pair of sweatpants and a teeshirt out of the hamper and yanks them on, not really caring if they haven’t been washed yet. When she walks back into the bedroom, water sloshing off of her hair and soaking the back of her teeshirt, Steve is attempting to bug crawl off of the bed in an effort to not wake Sarah.

“Hey, what are you doing up?” he whispers.

“Standing. And you?” Steve rolls his eyes. “Just peel her off of you, the girl sleeps through tornadoes.”

Steve climbs to his feet and tucks the blankets back around Sarah. Darcy hides a smile at the sight of him, adorably sleep rumpled and jeans slung low on his hips. “Coffee?”

She moans in delight. “ _Yes.”_

“How do you feel?” Steve asks her a few moments later as he wrestles with the new coffee maker Tony had given her for a Rosh Hashanah present. He lets out a stream of colorful curses when the darn thing just doesn’t cooperate and Darcy slides off of her stool to reach over and slap a hand to the side. The machine gurgles to life and Steve grins sheepishly. “Thanks.”  

“You’re welcome. And I feel like someone used my head for batting practice. I must have been high when I begged Helen to release me.”

“Painkillers hadn’t left your system yet,” Steve says solemnly and Darcy rolls her eyes, limping back to her seat. “Take it easy today, it will be a while before you feel back to normal.”

“Yes _Mom.”_

Steve places the mug of liquid gold in front of her on the table and her eyes widen as she watches him mix a half teaspoon of sugar and a little bit of cream in, just the way she likes it. “You remembered.”

The tips of his ears turn pink and he nods. “Yeah, uh, I did.”

Of freaking course she gets the warm and fuzzies off of Steve remembering how she takes her stupid coffee. Darcy takes a noisy slurp from the mug, eyes streaming when she burns her throat. She blinks rapidly and takes another sip, a smaller one this time as Steve pours his own cup and settles in a chair across from her. “Tell me more about Albany.”

So he does. Darcy finds herself sinking into the comfort of his voice and somehow they move over to the couch, Steve tugging her still sore legs into his lap as he continues his stories about the trip.

“Did you show off the shield?” she asks with a grin as Sarah comes stumbling bleary eyed out of the bedroom.

Steve snorts, shaking his head. “Nah. It snowed a little bit while we were there and Sarah begged me to use it to go sledding.”

“There was _to_ enough snow!” Sarah suddenly burst out.

Darcy laughs, an arm wrapping around her sore ribs. “Soon, babe. Soon.”

Sarah walks over to the counter and climbs up on the stepstool, reaching into the cabinet for the box of Cocoa Puffs that Jane had stashed up there a few days before. Her fingers slip on the edge and the box begins to fall, heading right for Sarah’s head.

And then it doesn’t.  

Darcy gapes as the box suddenly stops in mid air, like it’s lying on a table. Cereal is spilling out, scattering across the invisible surface. Sarah grunts, reaching up to grab the box again and her hand runs into a barrier that none of them can see.

Darcy realizes she has a terrible headache.

Pain thuds through her whole skull and she bites her lip trying not to cry out. Sarah ducks just in time, grabbed up by her father before she falls to the floor as the cereal box tumbles down, spraying bits of chocolate everywhere.

They stare at her like she had grown horns. Wincing, Darcy rubs her temples. “What?”

Steve looks back and forth from her to the mess on the floor. “Did you...do that?”

“I...I don’t know.”

She rubs her forehead again, the pain fading enough for her vision to focus. Steve’s still staring at her, arms wrapped around Sarah. Sarah’s attention has already shifted from the floating cereal back to her stomach and she yanks on her father’s fingers, whining, “ _Steve,_ I’m hungry!”

“Yeah – uh yeah, baby, I’ll get you something.”

Darcy leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she works her fingers through her hair. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe that didn’t happen. Maybe she was just too tired and imagining things. Maybe maybe maybe _maybemaybe..._

Out of the corner of her eye she sees the pillow heading for her head. It doesn’t make contact and smacks into the same barrier no one can see and slides to the floor. Darcy stares at the pillow for a moment, reaching out trembling fingers. Her hand touches something. Something’s there, and it feels like rubber or glass or – _something._

Sarah’s happily munching on her cereal, oblivious to it all. But Steve’s watching her still, eyes soft and knowing.

The barrier – the _shield_ suddenly disappears and her hand falls through and slaps against her knee. Darcy ignores the ache that radiates up her leg from the mere movement, closing her eyes and rubbing her fists against them so hard she sees little white stars.

What the hell is happening to her?

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I gave Darcy powers. Something different though, so you will have to tune in next chapter to find out what exactly is going on!


	13. Shield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: I AM SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE. I WENT BACK TO WORK A MONTH AGO AND I HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED AND THIS CHAPTER WAS FUCKING HARD TO WRITE. ANYWAY ENJOY!

.

Darcy hissed as the needle slid underneath her skin, her hand wrapping tightly around Steve’s. Bruce murmurs a soft apology, gently pulling the plunger up and then the needle out. “It’s all right. I’ve been injured enough times and Sarah was a c-section but needles are still my fear.”

A pained look flickers across Steve’s face. Darcy opens her mouth to ask and yelps when Bruce sticks her again. “The fudge?”

“Sorry, sorry, one last draw.”

Darcy watches as Bruce gently takes the last sample and places a few drops of blood each on three glass slides. “What exactly are you looking for?”

“Mutation gene.”

“ _What?”_

Bruce hesitates. “To see if the explosion triggered it.”

Darcy opens her mouth to argue and Steve cuts her off. “Wouldn’t she have triggered it as a child?”

“Not necessarily,” Bruce says. “In some situations, the gene can remain dormant and a highly stressful situation can make it come out.”

“Kinda like Logan?” Darcy asks.

Bruce nods. “Yeah. To tell you the truth,” he places the slide underneath the scope of the microscope. “I don’t believe you a mutant.”

“Then why –“

Bruce shakes his head and takes the slide out, switching it for another one. “Because of the life you’ve lived. You have been in one highly stressful situation after another and if none of that would trigger it, then Sarah’s birth would have.”

Darcy sighs, looking down at the tiny bandaid on the crook of her arm. She had been too scared to try anything since this morning and she and Steve had attempted to carry on like normal as they dropped Sarah off at school. The floating cocoa puffs hadn’t even fazed their girl, she had seen so much already in the four months she had lived in the tower. Darcy was almost amused at what a trooper she was becoming.

“I believe that you have technically become a _mutate,”_ Bruce says. “Powers being given to you by an outside source. Like me –“ he gestures to his own torso with one hand. “The big green guy. Wade Wilson, Peter Parker –“

“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down, Doc. I’m just doing this weird barrier thingy right now –“

“It doesn’t mean more powers won’t manifest,” Bruce tells her gravely.

Darcy feels bile rising in her throat. She slaps a hand over her mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Steve quickly grabs a trashbin from beside the counter and Darcy scoops it up with both of her hands, heaving what little she had for breakfast into it. Steve gently strokes the hair back from her forehead and she leans into his touch, sweat beading on her neck. “Dammit.”

“You’re okay,” he murmurs, fingertips pressing into the pulse point on her neck. “You’re okay.”

“Darcy.” When she looks up, Bruce is watching her worriedly. “I am so sorry about this.”

“The thing is, Bruce, you haven’t told us what _this_ is,” she returns, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “What was that thing? That thing that destroyed the other lab and yet, I came out practically unscathed. That blast should have killed me.”

“It didn’t though,” Bruce admits. Darcy fights the hot flare of anger that swoops through her stomach. “Darcy –“ Bruce lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his curly hair. The next thing that comes out of Bruce’s mouth nearly knocks her socks off. Steve’s hand grips hers so tightly that her knuckles start to bruise but she pays no attention to the pain.

_“Wow.”_

Bruce watches her guiltily, the blood samples forgotten on the table. “I’m so sorry,” he says again and Darcy holds up her free hand.

“ _This_ is why you don’t keep secrets!” she snaps. “I thought you all learned that after the bullshit with Ultron _twice._ ”

Darcy didn’t really understand all of the science mumbo jumbo but she got the gist of it. It wasn’t just Bruce and Jane screwing around this time, Wanda had given them a small bit of energy (don’t ask how that’s possible) and Bruce and Jane had played with it, placing it inside of the small doodad that Jane had been working on. The energy had grown and expanded, causing the machine to erupt and the explosion that had hit Darcy had been that energy.

“What were you trying to do with it?” Steve asks.

“We were trying to manipulate a force field.”

Darcy opens her mouth to ask what the hell he is talking about when Steve cuts her off again. “So the energy blast gave her...powers.”

“That’s right.”

“Will it stay?” Darcy asks.

“That I don’t know.”

Oh what the _fuck._ Darcy groans, running her fingers through her mussed up hair. This is _not_ what she had planned for this new week. She was supposed to be dragging Jane and Sarah to the farmer’s market and buying bushels of apples and cider. She was supposed to be giving in to Sarah’s begging for a dozen donuts that would most certainly be all eaten by Darcy herself. She was supposed to be worrying about how many hours she’d have to spend in the gym either running on the treadmill or sparring with Sharon to get the five pounds off that those donuts would give her.

Not... _this._

The breaths are suddenly not coming. They’re getting stuck in her chest and she gasps. “I can’t – breathe. _Shit.”_

Steve curses, practically knocking the trash bin out of the way. Bruce abandons the blood samples and kneels in front of her, lightly taking her hand in his. “Close your eyes,” he orders softly. “Take a deep breath in through your mouth.” She obeys, sucking in the breath. “Don’t hold it. Let it out slowly through your nose. In and _out._ In and out. Come on Darcy, you can do it.”

The panic is still there but it’s less now. She can breathe now, but it doesn’t come easy.

Nothing will ever be easy again.

“Dammit,” she finally says and Steve lets out a sigh of relief. “Finish looking at my blood,” she tells Bruce and he nods, getting to his feet and heading back over to the table. She looks at Steve, whose face is still drawn with worry. “I’m okay. It’s okay.”

Bullshit and they both know it.

Bruce examines the three slides for the next twenty minutes, making small noises that Darcy recognizes. Those same noises would come out of Jane whenever her suspicions about something were confirmed and she wasn’t ready to put it into ‘intern speak’ yet for her to understand.

When he tells her what she already knows, Darcy doesn’t say anything. What is there for her to say?

Steve practically carries her from the secondary labs once Bruce bids them goodbye. Darcy tugs on the lapel of his shirt, head ducking towards the stairwell on the other side of the floor. “I need a minute.”

Once the heavy metal door closes after them, Darcy presses both hands against the chilled wall and looks up to this ceiling. “Friday, is this stairwell soundproof?”

_“Yes Darcy.”_

Steve jumps as Darcy lets out a low scream. “What the --?”

“I’m sorry,” she immediately apologizes. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. It was either do that or cry and I’ve cried enough.”

“Darcy, do whatever you need to let that all out,” Steve tells her. “Scream, cry, hit something – not the wall though, hit me.”

“I don’t want to hit you, Steve.”  Darcy sighs, pushing the hair back from her sweaty forehead. “And I don’t want to hit the wall, I’ll break something. I just want to turn this all back and forget about it.” She gazes up at him helplessly, gesturing roughly at nothing in particular. “I don’t know what to do. I _always_ know what to do. _That_ is what’s scaring me so much.”

Steve doesn’t try to say anything as she plunges forward. “I’ve always prided myself on being the lone human in all of this. Yeah I know Jane is and Erik was but they were _brilliant._ They were superheroes in their own right. What am I in all of this? I am not a mutant or mutate or whatever Bruce called it. I am not a hero. I am Darcy Lewis. I’m Charlie and Alice Lewis’s daughter. I am Jane’s best friend. I am Sarah’s mother.”

She’s trying to catch the breath that will just not come when she glimpses Steve smiling at her.

“But you are a hero, Darce.”

“What?”

Steve reaches out and takes her hand, her fingers disappearing inside his fist. “You _are_ a hero.” He gently tugs her over to lean against the wall and they slide to the floor together. “You’ve survived the impossible. You dealt with my stupid ass for a year –“ Darcy laughs, a tear glistening in her eye. “You’ve chased Jane around, you handle Tony like a champ, you brought _our daughter_ into this world. I’d say that all makes a hero.”

That stubborn tear escapes down her cheek. Darcy wipes it away with her knuckle, biting her lip. “I guess.”

“No, don’t _guess._ Believe it,” Steve says. “Whatever this is –“ he points to her hands. “You can handle it. You will make it your own, however long you have this power.”

“Are you going to give me the ‘I believe in you’ schpiel?” Darcy asks, a smile on her lips.

Steve snorts, shaking his head. “Only if you want me too.” He falls silent for a second, choosing the next words he says carefully. “I’m always here, Darce. I’m not going anywhere.”

Darcy lets her head fall onto his shoulder with a breathy sigh. She allows the next tear to fall, splashing onto the cotton of Steve’s shirt.

No more tears fall after that.

“Thank you,” she whispers, so quiet that only he could have heard her.

He turns his head and presses his lips to her temple, saying nothing more.

-;

Darcy watches Sarah nervously, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. How many things are going to happen to flip this kid’s world upside down?

“I think it’s cool.”

“Huh?”

Sarah giggles, reaching over to take Darcy’s hand. “I saw, Mommy. You protected me. Like you always do.”

Darcy’s heart leaps to her throat and those annoying tears are burning her eyes again. She gulps them down, nodding. “Like always, shorty.” She holds out her pinky finger and Sarah hooks her own around it. “You’re okay with this?”

Sarah shrugs. “Weird things happen in this tower. Uncle Tony is always making things explode, aunt Jane makes things disappear, Bruce turns green.” She lifts her shoulders again and Darcy grins. “You make invisible things from your hands.”

“So you’re saying, my power is boring?”

“Something like that?”

Darcy bursts out laughing, reaching out to pull her daughter into her arms. “I love you Sarah.” She buries her nose in her soft hair. “So much.”

“Love you too, Mommy.” Sarah’s tiny hands gently pat her back. “Mommy? Can’t breathe.”

“Oh!” Darcy immediately releases her. “Sorry.”

“Can you...” Sarah bites her lip. “Can you show me?”

Darcy swallows nervously, rubbing her hands together. “I can try. I wonder if this will turn into something I can just switch on and off. That would be _such_ a big help.”

“Think fast!”

Darcy squawks as another pillow suddenly comes flying at her head and she throws up her hand. Sarah’s laughing in delight and the pillow bounces right off of that barrier again, sliding to the floor like Darcy is standing inside of an invisible box.

“Sarah Jane Lewis!”

Sarah just grins, lifting her hands in an ‘hey what can you do?’ expression. Darcy growls playfully and lifts her hands up into claws. “You better run, little girl!” Sarah screams happily and turns to flee and Darcy runs smack into that barrier. Face first.

Her nose stinging, Darcy pulls her head away and lightly taps on nothing in particular. She hears the light _tap tap_ reverberate in her ears and nearly shrieks.

Okay. What the fuck.

“ _Mommy,_ why aren’t you chasing me?”

“Well Sarah, Mommy’s power seems to be having technical difficulties.”

Sarah peeks around the corner, eyebrows raised. “Huh?”

“I’m...” she tries again and the barrier is still there. Of course. Of course this is happening to her. “...stuck.”

The more she presses her hands to the barrier, the more she feels like a mime. All she needs is the white face make up and she will be set.

“Should I get someone?”

Darcy thinks for a second what that could mean. Tony would try to blow the barrier down, Steve would try to punch it, and Jane would cry some more. Nah, that wasn’t a good idea. When she opens her mouth to tell her child that, the barrier falls and so does she. Luckily the couch is able to catch her fall and Darcy lets out an _oomph_ of surprise and annoyance, hair flopping over her face.

“I hope this isn’t going to be a thing,” she says out loud. Sarah nods and she cannot possibly know what the hell her mother is talking about but Darcy doesn’t bother to try and ask.

Sarah sits down beside her on the couch. “Maybe you need Wanda to help you.”

Darcy nods, shifting up so she is sitting instead of sprawling across the couch. “Maybe you’re right, shorty.”

Oh boy, this is going to be a long road.

“Let’s watch TV then,” Sarah suggests. A movie immediately flips onto the television and Darcy whistles a thank you to the AI. “It’s weird.”

“What’s weird, baby?”

“Your power,” Sarah says after a moment. “It’s like a...shield. It’s to keep you safe, right? Maybe you’ve spent too much time with Steve.” Darcy’s face drains of color, so evidently that even Sarah notices. “Mommy, are you okay?”

Darcy coughs. “Uh, yeah. Peachy.”

Could that be it? Is this some strange-ass soulmate kind of thing?

Nah... _maybe._

Oh this was stupid.

Darcy goes to get up and smacks her head on nothing. “Are you kidding me?” She paws a hand out and finds the barrier up again. “Is this something I have to learn to control and until then, it’s going to pop up all on it’s own?”

Sarah’s looking at her, no longer amused and Darcy nods towards the door. “Let’s try to get me out into the hallway.”

“Okay.”

She gets up slowly, arms out and hands feeling along the barrier, which is seriously just like a damn box. It even has _corners_ for Thor’s sake! Her fingers inch along, feeling against the cool (that’s cool in the chilly sense, not the awesome. This is anything but awesome.) invisible glass and – _smack!_

Sarah’s giggle disappears when Darcy shoots her child a withering look, rubbing her sore chin. She runs her tongue alongside her bottom lip, making sure she had not broken the skin. “All right kid, onward!”

What the hell, she might as well make this a game for the kid. The last thing she wants to do is freak her out.

She makes it to the door before the shield – no it is _not_ a shield! Thank you very much – pops up again and she nearly breaks her hand against it. She’s about ready to burst into angry tears when the door is opened by Sarah.

Not fun, not fun at all.

She steps out into the hallway and up it goes again.

The elevator doors open as Darcy folds her arms in front of her chest and leans against the non-existent wall. Sarah’s little hands are running along the side of the ‘box from hell’ as she is now calling it in her head. Her palms are flat and squished out and gosh Darcy’s ready to pull her hair out.

Steve and Tony get off the elevator and Darcy’s surprised to see Jane behind them. All three look harassed and she wonders what the three most important people in her life sans Sarah and her mother were talking about _without her –_ the thought dying in her head when Jane breaks into a run towards her. Neither Darcy or Sarah have time to shout out a warning when her poor tiny scientist bounces right off the barrier and falls to the floor.

Steve plucks Jane up like she weighs nothing and Tony begins knocking on the side of the barrier with his knuckles. “Well, I guess we got here just in time.”

“Just in time for what?” Darcy looks back and forth between the three of them warily. “Just in time for _what?”_

Tony casually tries to lean on the barrier and that’s when it chooses to disappear. Sarah just manages to dart out of the way, her father’s hand wrapping around her upper arm, before her uncle falls to the carpeted hallway floor.

“More training,” Jane admits and Darcy scowls. “Not just for you,” she hastens to explain. “For all of us.”

“Oh this is gonna be a good explanation. Quite colorful,” Darcy snaps and Steve winces.

Tony gets to his feet, grumbling as he rubs at his elbow. “Come on, kid, you knew this was gonna happen after –“ he waves his hand in her general vicinity. “It’s just to help you be prepared and to be safe.”

Darcy’s tempted to grumble and whine again but claps her mouth shut. The bitching isn’t going to get her anywhere and she _does_ need to learn how to control this stupid thing, whatever the heck it truly is.

“Okay, _fine.”_

Jane raises both brows. “Fine?”

“Fine.” She holds out both arms and smacks into the brand new barrier that had just formed without her noticing. “Mold me!”

Steve chuckles and Sarah rolls her eyes exasperatedly. “Oh _Mom.”_

_-;_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this was supposed to be a heck of a lot longer and that is why I struggled with it so much. I am immensely irritated with myself and well, I hope you guys all like and forgive me for the immense wait. Reviews keep the heart-a-jumpin’! *rereads* Wow that looks weird, lmao. Well ya’ll know what I mean. Thank you all for being so amazing and do leave me your thoughts in the box below.


	14. Home

.

.

“Darcy pay attention!”

“I _am_ paying attention!”

That wasn’t exactly true. Okay, it was a load of BS but give her a break.

Five weeks had passed since the explosion in the labs (which were now completely done over) and the magical shit that was now coming from her fingertips.

Well, not exactly from her fingertips anymore. She had managed to make three mental shields in the last four weeks and Wanda had not been able to tap into her mind. The shields hadn’t held for very long but they had _held._ The invisible boxes were now gone too, much to Darcy’s relief. Her face was bruised up enough from smacking into the stupid barriers without initially knowing they were there.

The holidays were halfway over. Most of the tower would be going their separate ways for Christmas and would, of course, be on alert in case of the need to assemble. Darcy was taking Sarah to Montreal to be with her mother for Hanukkah and Christmas while Jane was going to spending the holiday with her aunt Regina in Ohio.

As Wanda sends one final energy blast her way, Darcy’s shield doesn’t quite make it up in time. In her defense, Steve had just walked into the gym.

Wanda groans, her scowl fading when she catches sight of the tall man. “I think there needs to be some motivation.”

“Huh?”

She crooks a finger at Steve, who looks like he’s trying to decide whether or not to attempt to flee. “Come here for a minute.”

“Wait –“ Darcy protests. “What are you going to do?”

Steve walks over to stand beside Darcy. “I’m not going to do anything to him,” Wanda replies calmly. “I want you to put a shield around him.”

Both of Darcy’s brows fly up her forehead. “You _what?”_

“Not his whole body, just his hands,” Wanda explains. “Are you okay with this?” she adds, cutting her gaze to Steve.

He nods. Darcy winces but does as she’s told, holding out her fingertips towards Steve’s hands. She feels the energy slide out and suddenly, for the first time ever, she can _see_ it.

Steve’s brows rise again. He can see it too.

Wanda lifts her fingers and a tiny shine of red smoke like matter slides into the air. Her ringed fingers twist elegantly and the small blast bounces off of Steve’s hands and disappears into nothing.

“Wonderful!” Wanda claps her own hands together. “You are getting the hang of it!”

Darcy groans, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “You have to use someone I care about as bait to get me to actually do _it?”_

Wanda shrugs. “I made you think I was." She smiles at Steve. “I’d never hurt Steve and he knows that.”

Steve grins, waving as Wanda excuses herself and leaves them alone in the gym. “You okay?”

“Okay? You ask me if I am _okay?”_ Darcy squeaks. “I stink, I’m sweaty, and I am mean. So yeah, I’m just _dandy.”_

-;

“Mommy, when are we leaving for Gram’s?”

“The day after tomorrow, babe,” Darcy pushes another sweater into her duffel bag, carefully tucking it around the three wrapped presents at the bottom. “Do you have your gifts for Gram packed?”

Sarah nods. “Do you think she’ll like what I made her?”

“She’s gonna love ‘em, shorty.” Before Darcy can say anything else, a knock comes at the bedroom door. “Hey, brother.”

Tony smiles, carefully balancing a few wrapped boxes under his arm. “I wanted to give these to you.” He pulls a thin one off the top to pass to Sarah. “Open that now. It’s very important.”

Sarah glances at Darcy for her approval,  tearing the paper off a moment later to reveal a child-sized leather bracelet just like the many that Darcy adorned her own wrists with. “Thank you! Just like Mommy’s!”

Tony sets down the other gifts on the nightstand and kneels in front of Sarah. “This is not an ordinary bracelet,” he explains. He flips the leather band over and points to the snap clasp, which when Darcy looks closer, she sees a tiny button adorning the side. “I’ve been working on this for a while now,” Tony gently wraps the band around Sarah’s wrist. “If you are _ever_ in trouble, if there is anything that scares you, that wants to hurt you and your mom and dad or I are not around, you can hit that button right there. And that sends a signal to us to come and get you. This is only to be used in serious situations, do you understand? Don’t play around with it.”

Sarah nods solemnly. “I understand.”

Tony pecks her forehead, getting to his feet. “Hopefully it will never have to be used but if so, it sends a satellite signal to your phone, Steve’s, and mine as well to the emergency sensors here at the tower,” he tells Darcy.

“So the Avengers will assemble?” Darcy jokes, trying to calm the sudden rapid beating of her heart. For the longest time, the biggest fear Darcy had was that Sarah would suffer a large asthma attack and she wouldn't be there or whoever was with her wouldn't know what to do. 

As Sarah grew older and became more comfortable in her life here, that new fear manifested in Darcy. She didn't like thinking about it, that's not how she was as a person. She focused on the good parts, she relished every moment. But it would be there, that fear, always in the back of her mind. She would never let herself be unaware. But the good, yeah the good was the most important. 

“Something like that," Tony says gravely.  “You won’t let me put a tracker on her so – _ow!”_ He rubs his arm where Darcy had smacked him. “I said I _didn’t!”_ Sarah chuckles, wandering from the room while still inspecting the bracelet. Tony glances at her sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Darcy assures him. “Thank you for that. She, uh, _can_ take the bracelet off, right?”

“Oh shit, Sarah!” The young girl returns to the room, already yanking on the band. “There’s a special word that gets that bracelet off.” He leans down and whispers it in her ear, thoroughly annoying Darcy. Sarah laughs again, beaming at her uncle. “I know it’s silly but it’s something only you would know.”

“It’s perfect!”

Darcy scowls. “I think I should know that.” She rolls her eyes at the twin looks of mischief on their faces. A thought occurs. “It’s ‘ _starship kittycat’_ isn’t it?”

“How the _hell_ did you figure that out?!”

-;

They were going to be late. Darcy rushed around the bedroom, searching for whatever else she is sure she might need for the ten days. Jane always told her she was an over-packer but Darcy always strongly disagreed. She was never going to let herself be unprepared. So sue her if that made her too Mom-like. 

"Aha!" Darcy yanks the extra tubes of Sarah's inhalor medication out of the cabinet in the bathroom, stuffing it into the side pocket on her duffel.  “Where are the tickets? Sarah, where are the plane tickets?!”

“ _On the dresser!”_

Darcy’s gaze flits right over where the bright blue papers are sitting, heart hammering in her throat. “Where?!”

The door opens and Sarah stomps in, grabbing her mother’s hand and directing it to where the airline papers lay. “What’s that?”

“Oh. Thank you.”

Rolling her eyes, Sarah turns to go back into her room. Darcy picks up the tickets and thumbs through them, nearly missing the third one that was not supposed to be there.

_Date of Flight: December 17 th  
Name of Passenger: Steven Rogers_

Tony had suggested Darcy take the Stark private jet but she had put her foot down on that. She didn’t want to draw a curious eye to them in Canada. Also, it wasn’t a long flight and Darcy was eager to try and keep things as normal as possible for Sarah.

And it was normal for a child to travel with both of her parents for the holidays.

She jumps when there’s a knock at the door. “Come in!” The tickets nearly fall from her fingers when Steve walks in, his freaking ginormous arms wrapped in a soft sweater. “Hey.”

“Hey, you two almost ready? I’ll ride with you to the airport.”

Darcy glances at the ticket one last time before making her choice. “Actually, you might wanna go throw some clothes into a bag.”

“Huh?”

She passes the ticket into his warm hand. “I think my mother made a mistake when she ordered the tickets. I didn’t notice until now but...why let it go to waste? And Sarah would love it. Her first Hanukkah and Christmas with the both of us.”

Steve gazes at the ticket like it’s about to burst into flames right in his hand. Darcy’s stomach turns over and she prepares to make up an excuse when he suddenly nods. “How long until the flight?”

“Oh!” _That,_ she was not expecting. “Oh, it’s in an hour and a half.”

He hands her the ticket. “Give me ten?”

Darcy’s stomach swoops again, although for a very different reason this time. “Yeah. I’ll be waiting.”

His thumb brushes against her chin before he leaves. Darcy watches him go, hand gripping the side of the door so her knees don’t give out.

-;

 **Me** _**:** You think you’re funny? _

**Brother** _**:** I think I’m adorable. _

**Me** _**:** Haha, ‘fess up. _

**Brother** _**:** To what, pray tell? _

**Me:** _You ordered the extra plane ticket for Steve and snuck it into my stuff, didn’t you?_

 **Brother:** _Guilty._

Darcy stared at her phone for a moment. She tucks it away when Sarah tries to peek, holding it up to her nose.

 **Me:** _You...huh?_

 **Brother:** _You are slow as hell. I’m just giving you and the Cap a bit of a push. It’s what big brothers do._

 **Me:** _You mean, butting into their younger sisters’ personal lives? You’re damn right!_

 **Brother:** _No, you drama queen. Giving their little sisters’ a push so they can get their heads out of their butts and be happy._

Darcy scowled at her phone, tempted to throw it across the airport terminal. She furiously tapped out an angry reply that may have been filled with swear words before tossing the phone into her carry on bag. She hears an irritating buzz from the bag a moment later and Steve’s smirking at her. “Don’t look at me like that,” she mutters at nothing in particular. Sanctuary comes a beat later when their flight is announced.  

Sarah reaches for her left hand, adjusting her bookbag tighter onto her back before grabbing’s Steve’s hand too. A security officer directs them to the right gate and Darcy looks around at Steve to see him pulling his baseball cap lower over his brow. Her lips flicker up in a smile, her heart swelling with an emotion she couldn’t quite put her finger on just yet.

“Heck yeah, window seat!” Darcy cheers. She stuffs her carry on into the overhead compartment, grabbing her phone before sliding into her seat. Sarah cuddles up next to her and Steve takes the aisle, resting his arm around Sarah’s shoulders. She smiles happily, grabbing Darcy’s hand again while turning to snuggle into Steve’s side.

As the plane takes off, Darcy finally looks down at the message Tony had sent her.

 **Brother:** _Be safe and have a good holiday._

That’s it. _Something actually adult and sensitive_ , Darcy muses as she taps out a reply.

 **Me:** _Love you big brother._

Before she puts the phone in her pocket so the flight attendant doesn’t come and yell at her, there’s one last message.

 **Brother:** _Love you too._

-;

The flight is short to her and Steve but long enough to get a still tired Sarah to pass out cold, her head on Steve’s bicep. They buckle her back into her seat as the plane gets ready to land, those movements finally stirring her from her nap.

“Are we there yet?”

Darcy smiles, popping a kiss to Sarah’s cheek. “Almost, shorty.”

Sarah yawns, stretching out her arms, her little hand hitting Steve in the shoulder. “Good. I want to see Gram.”

“Me too.”

Steve leaned in. “How’s Alice going to take me coming?”

“She knows, I texted her on the cab ride,” Darcy says. Steve winces and she laughs quietly. “Don’t worry, she’s fine with it.” She had told Steve what Tony had done, happily accepting Steve’s promise to bounce her brother’s head off of a wall when they got home.

“But _still..._ I may have been caught up in the moment,” he admits. “First Christmas with my daughter and –“

“Steve –“ Darcy reaches across, grabbing his hand. “I know this sounds like a high order but _please relax._ You’ve met my mother, she likes you. She’s not going to eat you alive.”

He smiles, leaning his head against the seat rest. “Sorry.”

 _“We are making our descent to Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. Please buckle your seatbelts and return your seats to a full and upright position.”_ The captain repeats the instructions again in French. 

The plane bumps once it touches down on the runway. Steve’s hand, still wrapped in hers, suddenly tightens like a vice. For a moment, Darcy wonders. And then she remembers.

She strengthens her own grip, gently brushing her thumb against the back of his knuckles. The plane comes to a complete stop after what seems like forever and Steve then looks down at their joined hands. “Thanks.”

He lets her go and Darcy’s hand suddenly feels so empty. “No problem.”

-;

“ _Child!”_

 _“Mother!”_ Darcy drops her bag on the floor with a heavy thud as she dashes into her mother’s arms. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much!”

Alice laughs happily, hugging her back. “And I you. Where’s – grandchild!”

“Gram!” Sarah lets go of Steve’s hand and runs the rest of the way to her grandmother. She squeals in delight as Alice picks her up and whirls her around. “Gram, put me down!”

Alice is still laughing as she sets Sarah on her feet and turns to Steve. “Hi, Steve. It’s really nice to see you again, sweetie.”

Steve blinks in surprise at the term of endearment, accepting the half hug Darcy’s mother offers him. “Thank you.  You too.”

“Come on, let’s get your bags and go home. I was thinking...” she looks at Sarah. “...pizza!”

“Yay!” When Steve and Alice both look at her it takes a second for Darcy to realize she was the one that cheered. 

Alice’s SUV is waiting for them in the parking lot. Steve tosses the bags in the back as Sarah clampers into the front seat next to her grandmother. “When was the last time you came to Canada?” Darcy asks as the SUV pulls out of the parking lot.

“Uh, I’ve actually only been to Ontario and that was for an Avengers event. Very dull and I didn’t get to do too much sightseeing.”

“Well that is going to change,” Alice says. “Darcy, when we get back to the house and get settled, why don’t you take Steve around the city?”

“Uh –“ Darcy stares alarmed at her mother’s gaze in the rearview mirror of the car.

“And it will give me some alone time with Sarah _,”_ Alice adds, gently poking Sarah in the side.

Darcy shrugs a shoulder. “Are you up for it?”

“Sure,” Steve says. “Sounds...like fun.”

“That was incredibly assuring,” Darcy snarks, missing the wink that Alice sends Sarah’s way.

-;

Her breath escapes her when she sees the house she grew up in.

After her father’s death, Darcy had begged her mother to move. Alice had blatantly refused, opting instead to rip out the inside of the house and doing a complete makeover instead. Within eight weeks, the interior of the house was unrecognizable and honestly, it felt better.

In the six months that followed, they donated Charlie’s stuff to charities and scattered his ashes in the city. Her dad had loved Montreal, loved it to his very core and never wanted to leave.

So they made sure of it.

Darcy kept her dad’s favorite cardigan, which of course awakened a love of cableknit sweaters, and several pictures. The rest was inside her head and her heart.

She smiles at Sarah as her daughter cheerfully scampers up the front walk to the house, charging inside without a backward glance, Alice right on her heels. Steve looks up at the three floor townhouse, marveling the sight. “This is really nice.”

Darcy nods in agreement. “It sure is, if I do say so myself.”

Steve laughs and they walk up the stairs together, just stepping inside as the first snowflakes begin to lace from the sky.

The living room is full of overstuffed furniture of all different colors. Steve recognizes Darcy’s style everywhere and he is instantly reminded of Maine.

He misses Maine every day.

There’s a small golden menorah sitting in the far window of the living room, tucked safely out of sight of the passerby outside. He also sees a metal tree-stand near the fireplace and wonders if getting a tree is for his benefit.

It’s like Darcy had read his mind as she says, “My dad wasn’t Jewish. The tree was for him and we kind of never quit. The tree did get smaller as the years went by.”

“That’s understandable,” he says.

Darcy cocks her head towards the stairs. “Come on, I’ll show you where you’re gonna sack out.”

-;

“Darce honey, I already called Pierre’s. He’s got three pizzas’ in the works. I took a shot and ordered a plain pepperoni pie for Steve.”

Darcy easily catches the credit card her mother tosses at her. “Mom, I can pay –“

“Nonsense, let me. You can buy the tree tomorrow.”

Sarah cheers from Alice’s side. “Yay!”

Alice practically pushes them out the door. “Go, go, go, Pierre’s won’t remain open much longer.”

“But he doesn’t close until –“ _SLAM._ “...eleven.” Darcy turns to Steve, brow raised. “I think we’ve been set up.”

“I think we have.” He holds out his arm to her. “You promised to show me the sights.”

Darcy beams, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders before sliding her hand around his bicep. “Actually that was my mother. But I’m game.”

Twinkle lights of every color decorate the city. Snow still falls from the sky, large and soft flakes that settle on Darcy’s shoulders and sprinkle across Steve’s dark blond hair. One of the first buildings they come too, Darcy lets out a squeal and Steve is nearly yanked right off his feet as she pulls him through the door. “This used to be my favorite coffee shop!”

Inside, the café is abuzz with people and honestly smells _delicious._ Steve picks up the scent of sugar cookies baking and fresh coffee already brewing. Luckily, the shop is too noisy for anyone to hear his stomach give a mighty rumble.

A woman behind the counter looks up as Darcy approaches and screeches, throwing the paper cup she had picked up off the counter right into the air. “Darcy Lewis, I cannot believe it!”

Without any kind of caution, Darcy dashes around the edge of the counter and both women almost fall over as they hug tightly, bouncing up and down on the balls of their feet. Steve shoves his hands deep into his coat pockets, biting back another smile as he watches the two women converse happily. She points at him a couple of times and he manages a dorky wave that gets the other woman snickering. He feels his ears heat up and inwardly chides himself as the woman hands Darcy two covered cups and waves her away when she tries to pay.

“Regular with just one cream, right?”

He smiles goofily as he accepts the cup, nodding at hers. “Vanilla swirl, two shots?”

“You _remembered,”_ Darcy dramatically places a hand on her heart and he rolls his eyes, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, let’s go.”

“So who was that?” Steve asks once they step out onto the snowy sidewalk.

Darcy takes a sip of her coffee. “That was Lavinia. We went to community college together and I used to joke that she would rule the world and I was right! She rules that coffee shop now. She bought out Henri three years ago.”

“Good for her."

Darcy points a gloved hand, the cup cradled in her other one. “Pierre’s should be right up here.”

The pizza place is smaller than Steve pictured, stuffed full of people trying to escape the chill from outside. Another plethora of smells hits his nostrils and he breathes in deep. Darcy grins knowingly at him. “ _Wow.”_

A man in his eighties, white hair curling around his ears spots Darcy from behind the cash register. “Lewis!” he shouts, voice thick with accent.

Darcy grins, grabbing Steve’s hand and half dragging him over. “Bonjour Pierre!”

“So nice to see you back. Are you home for the holiday or are you here to stay?”

“Just for the holiday and then it’s back to business as usual. Sarah’s back at the house with my mother. Pierre, I’d like you to meet Steve.”

The older man extends a gnarled hand at Steve, to which he gladly takes. Slight recognition shines in the other man’s eyes, his gaze flickering up and down Steve’s torso. “ _Impossible_.”

Steve suddenly remembers a young boy with the same blue eyes, half starved and clinging to him as Steve pulled him from the cage that he had been locked into. The boy is muttering something in French that Steve is not catching before grasping onto the front of his uniform.

“ _Merci, merci...”_

“I’m glad you’re well, Pierre,” Steve says softly.

Pierre nods, his veined hand trembling in Steve’s grasp. Tears are burning in Darcy’s eyes and she tries to hide a sniffle.

“Let me get... _uh...”_

They watch as Pierre disappears with a choked gasp into the back to get the pizzas. “When?” Darcy whispers once they are alone.

“About three weeks before I went into the ice,” he says, just as quietly.

They pay and Steve takes Pierre’s hand one more time, giving it a solid shake before they go. “Pierre never told me about any of that. I don’t even think my mom knew.”

“It’s not something people talk about in dinner table stories, Darcy.”

“I know that,” she says. “I just...wow.” She turns her gaze to him, snow flecking her glasses. “Are _you_ okay?”

He nods. “I am. I’m glad...I’m glad he’s well and he had a good life.”

“He did,” Darcy assures him. “Eight freaking children and I don’t know how many grandchildren. They all run that place with him.”

Steve shifts the pizza boxes safely to his right arm before wrapping the other back around Darcy’s shoulders. She twists her own arm around his waist, smiling as he presses his lips to her forehead. “Happy Christmas, Steve.”

“Happy Hanukkah, Darcy.”

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon folks, soon. Do leave me your thoughts in the box below if you would like the next chapter. Love ya all.


	15. Only Us

.

.

Snow covers the ground in a soft white crunch. Darcy’s boots dig in as she walks through the rows of trees, Sarah scampering ahead. Her blond curls are covered by a bright red beanie with yellow gloves covering her fingers. Darcy hears Steve’s heavy footfall behind her, turning a bit on her heel to see him watching Sarah too, a smile clinging to his lips.

“What are you thinking about?”

Steve falls into step beside her, hands dug deep into his coat pockets. Darcy doesn’t wait for an answer, eyes flitting back to Sarah and not letting that red beanie leave her sight. She was seriously starting to think about getting a backpack leash for her girl.

“That first Christmas in Maine.”

Darcy nearly trips over her own feet. She was not expecting that. “Oh really?” Seriously, her voice has to crack like a twelve year old boy’s _now?_

Steve nods. “It was the...fifth day of Hanukkah I think? You were supposed to fly out to see your Mom the next day and Jane was already trying to jazz herself up to see her aunt and _you –_ you were so happy.”

“I was acting,” Darcy admitted with a dry chuckle. Steve glances at her, disbelievingly. “The last thing I wanted to do was get up for a six am flight and everything was just so last minute. Jane had to work until four in the morning that day and our celebration was rushed but I –“ She bites her lip, considering her words. “Okay, that’s a lie. I was happy.”

She was exhausted that day and ready to snap. But the moment that Steve had walked through the door, carrying an enormous potted poinsettia and wearing a sheepish expression, all her annoyance at her rough day immediately eased. And she spent that night laughing and drinking with two of the most important people in her life.

Darcy reaches out a gloved hand and somehow, like radar, Steve meets her in the middle. Their fingers lace together and she manages a smile, heart aching more than it should. “Do you still have those paintbrushes?”

An unexpected laugh tumbles over Steve’s lips. “Uh, yeah actually. I haven’t painted in a long time though.”

Before Darcy can say anything else, Sarah’s voice rings out.

“There it is!”

Sarah’s jarred to a stop and suddenly disappears through the trees.

Darcy’s heart jumps in her throat. “Sarah! Sarah, get back here please!”

Before she even has a chance to panic, the red beanie reappears and Sarah’s beaming. “Come on, Mommy! It’s beautiful!” To Darcy’s relief, Sarah waits until they approach. Darcy gently drops Steve’s hand and Sarah grabs it, beaming up at her father. “Dad, you’re going to love it.”

When Sarah runs ahead again, she doesn’t realize that for a moment, her parents are not following. Turning around, she sees her mother staring at her dad and her dad staring at her. And for one breath, she thinks her dad is about to cry. But that’s silly, to cry over a Christmas tree.

“Come _on,”_ she calls impatiently. “Before someone else gets the tree!”

Steve gives himself a shake, and Darcy looks up at him one last time. “Are you all right?”

This time, the smile he gives her is real. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m all right.”

_“Mom!”_

“Coming!”

The tree is perfect, her kid wasn’t lying. It stands at three feet tall and almost three feet wide with big thick boughs of pine that smell absolutely delicious. They get the tree loaded up in the back of the rented truck and head back to the townhouse, Sarah wedged between them and chattering happily the whole way home.

Tonight was the first night of Hanukkah.

Darcy holds the tree steady as Alice prepares the menorah and the candles, readying them by the window as night begins to fall, spilling the inky black across the sky like a bottle of paint had been knocked over. Steve manages to get the last bolt into the trunk, sliding away to see if it holds steady. Darcy grins when she sees it does, heading into the kitchen to get some water for the tree. They will decorate it tomorrow in the daylight.

Now was time for the blessing.

-;

Sarah exclaimed in delight over the small dreidel that she had just unwrapped from her mother. The sides are painted blue and white, and the tip is silver, the colors blurring as she spins it on the table. “Thank you Mommy!”

Darcy smacks a kiss to her cheek. “You’re welcome, shorty.” She nods at Alice. “Don’t you have something you’d like to give your Gram?”

“Ooh! Yes!” Sarah bolts from the room, returning a moment later with a drawing she had been slaving over for the past couple of weeks. Her school had done an event where for a grade, they would make gifts for parents and family members and each night of the project she had come home with something new for the occupants of the tower. Sam had already framed the drawn picture of him flying about with his wings, proudly calling it something worthy to hang in the MOMA.

Alice happily _oohs_ and _ahhs_ over the drawing, immediately finding a spot on the fridge for it with a promise to frame it later. Darcy winked at Sarah, leaning over to pull out the eight by ten inch silver frame she had bought, passing it to her mother with a grin. “You know what you need to do there.”

Alice rolls her eyes but does as she’s told, getting back up from the table to get the drawing. Darcy turns to Steve, feeling lighter than she had felt in ages. Steve’s still watching Sarah as she converses with her grandmother, eyes soft. “You happy?”

The question startles him from his reverie but he doesn’t hesitate to nod.

“Darcy, Steve, I’m going to make hot chocolate for Sarah. Do either of you want some?”

Sarah holds up a bag full of green and red marshmallows. “Marshmallows too!”

“Well how could I refuse that?” Darcy muses. “Lots of marshmallows too.”

Sarah grins, gaze shifting to Steve. “Dad? Marshmallows?”

Steve’s breath quickens. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

Darcy lifts her hand, letting it come down to rest on top of his. Her own heart does an extra _thumpity thump_ when his thumb wraps around hers and she leans in, whispering, “This is it, Steve. This is everything.”

He lets out a long breath through his nose and lets his temple rest against her forehead and they just hold each other for a moment, springing away when Sarah returns, carefully balancing the two mugs piled high with marshmallows. “When can we go to the park? Gram said we could have a snowball fight!”

“Actually,” Alice says with a glance at the couple in front of her. “I’m having a little bit of a headache. Why don’t you three go without me and I will have dinner made when you get back?”

“A headache Mom? Another one?” Darcy raises a brow, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You had a headache the day before yesterday when you were supposed to go tree hunting with us.”

“Did I? Oh you must be mistaken,” Alice tuts. “Now finish your cocoa and _go._ Have fun.” As she turns away she mutters something else in French that Darcy doesn’t catch and causes Steve to choke on his drink.

“What did she just say? Did she call me something?” Darcy demands once her mother is out of the room.

Steve shakes his head, getting to his feet. “Nah, she’s just...being your mother.”

“What does that mean? Steve? _Steve!”_

-;

_Wham!_

Darcy gasped, glancing down at the snow that now covered the entire front of her coat. Sarah peeped out from behind a tree, blond brows waggling as she fought back a high pitched squeal. “Oh, it’s _on,_ young lady!”

Sarah dashes out from behind her tree cover, ducking in time to avoid the blob of snow her mother throws at her. “ _Noooo!_ Daddy, get her!”

“Wait, that’s not fair!” Darcy jumps back as Steve appears, an enormous snowball in his hands.

She throws herself face first into a snowbank to avoid the shower of freezing cold flakes, laughing as Steve gently turns her over on her back, stuffing more snow down her jacket. “I swear on the sweet baby Jesus, Rogers I will get you for this!”

“Mommy, use your shield!”

“Oh yeah!” The shield is small this time, enough force to push Steve off of her and right onto his ass. She takes that opportunity to press her hands to his chest and throw her leg over his waist, promptly sitting on him. “Take that!”

He raises an eyebrow suggestively and Darcy suddenly feels quite hot in the twenty degree weather. She doesn’t have much time to mull over it as Sarah suddenly leaps on both of them, sending more snow flying around along with the sweet sound of her laughter.

Thirty minutes later, Sarah’s lips are starting to turn blue and Darcy can hear a slight wheeze to her breathing, so Darcy puts an end to the snow fight. “Let’s go to Lavinia’s for something hot to drink and go home, okay?”

Sarah yawned, resting her head against Darcy’s hip as they walked towards the car. “Okay Mommy.”

True to her mother’s word, dinner is just coming out of the oven as they get home, all three still dripping wet and shivering. Darcy tosses Sarah in a hot shower, nearly running smack into a shirtless Steve in the hallway. She clutches Sarah’s wet clothes to her chest for a moment and mutters something unintelligible before bolting the other way to hide in the laundry room for a full ten minutes.

“Get a _grip,_ Lewis,” Darcy mutters to herself as she stuffs Sarah’s clothes into the washing machine. “You’ve seen the man naked, you’ve done things to him that –“ At the mere memory, Darcy feels her cheeks heat up. “Enough! Bad Darcy!”

“’Bad Darcy’ what?”

Darcy squeaks, whirling around to see her mother standing in the doorway. “Nothing! Nothing at all. Nothing to see here.” She flicks her fingers into the OK symbol. “Everything is hunky-dory.”

Alice snorts disbelievingly. “Well if you are done talking to yourself, Sarah is dressed and dinner is ready. Get your butt downstairs.”  

As she leaves, her mother says something else in French that Darcy does not catch. “Mother, stop that!” Her answer is a load cackling laugh and Darcy makes a mental note to start practicing her French again.

-;

Sarah sleeps through the lighting of the second to last candle on the menorah that night.

“I’m going to retire,” Alice says, gently rousing Sarah. “It was an eventful day.”

Darcy rolls her eyes. “For you, right?”

Alice ignores her, scooping Sarah up into her arms. “Goodnight daughter. Goodnight Steven.”

“Goodnight, Alice.”

Darcy takes the spot Sarah had occupied once her mother and daughter are out of the room and out of earshot, pulling the lilac comforter that had fallen to the floor back up and over her legs. She pats the spot next to her and Steve sits, stiff and wound up tight. “Jeez, chill out. I need a pillow.”

“I can get – _oh.”_

Darcy doesn’t bother to find a comeback, easing down with the comforter pulled up to her shoulders. Steve gently brushes her hair back from her cheek and soon his fingers move a soft pattern down her neck. If he keeps that up, she’s gonna be –

The next thing she knows, the fire has died down and she’s drooling a little bit – okay _a lot_ all over Steve’s knee. She yawns, stretching her arms out and accidentally smacking him in his perfect face. “Oh shit, sorry.”

“’s okay.” Judging by the slur in his voice, he had fallen asleep too.

Darcy carefully detangles the blanket from her legs and wraps it around her shoulders, easing herself to her feet and padding over to the window. Snow falls in thick droves from the sky, so heavy she can just barely make out the street lights. “I don’t remember anything being in the weather about a snow storm.”

“Neither do I,” Steve rubs at his eyes with his fist. He glances at the clock on the mantle. “Hey Darcy?”

“Yeah?”

He’s pointing at the clock when she looks around. “It’s morning.” December 25th.

Darcy glances at the still glowing embers in the fireplace, shifting the blanket more tightly around her shoulders. “I used to think love was stupid.”

Wow, yeah she’s totally acing this.

Steve blinks up at her. “Okay?”

“And then you showed up. I still thought it was stupid though,” she adds, wiggling a finger in his direction. “Mind you, your pretty face and your big sweet heart didn’t change my mind. At least, for a while.”

Steve stays silent, waiting.

“And then you were just... _there._ I thought you would always be there and I took you for granted.”

Holy Thor, that’s _it._

“After Sarah was born, I learned to never take the things I loved for granted anymore.” Her eyes flit back to Steve, who’s already climbing to his feet. “I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to try again, I want – _mph!”_

This kiss is different.

This kiss is filled with a hope that she hadn’t felt in ages and it feels like second chances and joy and _home._

Darcy winds her arms around his waist, the heat from his body warming her and sending electric shocks right to her toes. They walk sideways back to the couch and she’s practically in his lap, the kisses getting lazier and drawn out, her fingers sliding up into his hair. She wants to crawl inside of him, she never wants to let go.

Steve finally does pull away so she can breathe – _damn serum –_ his hands holding onto her like she’s going to evaporate into nothing. “I don’t want to waste anymore time either,” he whispers against her skin. “I didn’t realize that until Sarah –“ his voice cracks.

“Called you ‘Dad’?” Darcy finishes.

He nods. “I knew then –“

“So did I.” She brings his mouth back down to hers, fingers plying at the buttons on his shirt. She’s eager to feel his skin underneath hers again, it’s been so damn long and –

Steve’s hands gently pry hers away from his shirt. Before she has a chance to pout, he says, “I want too, more than anything but –“ He bites his lip, ears flushing scarlet. “Not in your mother’s house?”

Darcy laughs softly. “All right. I can wait. But not long, okay? I’ve already waited seven years.”

He lifts a brow. “Has there been...anyone?”

She shakes her head. “A few dates here and there but nothing that became physical. Not even close. You?”

“I was too much of a mess after...well you know. And by the time I wasn’t a mess, doombots were falling from the sky every other month.”

She snickers, turning her head to give him better access to her throat. “Just as I expected.”

_“Ha, ha.”_

“Gosh, we’ve become nuns. I mean, you’re a monk and I’m a nun. I mean –“

“Darcy?”

“Hmm?”

His answer is another soft kiss on her mouth and she forgets what she was saying.

-;

Sarah tiptoes down the hallway to her mother’s room, shivering slightly in the chill of the early morning air. She had already gone downstairs to look at the tree and had gasped at the sight of all of the snow. She wondered about uncle Tony and aunt Jane and if they had gotten this much snow too.

Something catches her eye that she had not noticed before as she gets ready to climb the stairs to go back to her room. Blue and silver stars hang by thin strands of thread in the window, dangling lightly above the menorah.

Sarah walks back over to the window, reaching up to touch one of the stars. Turning it over, she sees a name scripted on the side.

_Darcy Anna, 15 years._

Wasn’t Mommy fifteen when Grandad died?

Sarah looks up at the stars for a little while longer and it suddenly occurs to her how much one of them looks like the star her dad wears on his chest before he has to go to work. Maybe her dad could have a star of his own?

Realizing just how cold her feet are, Sarah turns back and heads upstairs. She’s going to snuggle with Mommy and maybe talk her into making her famous french toast.

Quietly pushing the door open, Sarah tiptoes into her mother’s room. She freezes when she realizes her mother is not alone in her bed.

Daddy is laying beside her mother, their arms wrapped tightly around each other like they are afraid the other is going to disappear.

Sarah’s heart swells with hope. Does this mean --? Are they --?

“Mommy?”

Her mother wakes almost immediately, staring at Sarah. “Morning, honey. Uh... _oof!”_ She gasps as Sarah vaults onto the bed, wriggling down between the two of them underneath the covers. “Well this is a surprise.”

“It’s cold,” Sarah states. Her dad chuckles, kissing the top of her head. “Are you two...” She waggles her fingers and Darcy’s face burns. “Uh...going to be like my friend Mary’s parents?”

Mary Wakefield was in her class in New York and her parents were mushy gushy. It was kind of gross actually. They always came to pick Mary up together and they were always holding hands and being sweet and well, grown ups shouldn’t be like that!

Darcy smirks, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “Are you okay with that, baby?”

“Well...it’s going to take a while to get used too,” Sarah muses for a moment before beaming. “Yes I’m okay with it!”

Her mother laughs, gently tickling her sides before pulling her into her arms. Sarah doesn’t see the way her parents smile at each other but she feels how different everything is.

And it feels wonderful.

-;

Darcy tries her best to ignore her mother’s knowing smirk as the three of them shuffle down to breakfast, more than half an hour late.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY.
> 
> We're only about halfway through the story so hold onto your butts. Love ya all and do tell me what you thought in the box below.


	16. Attack

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Clint crows like the bird he is when he sees them walk off the elevator on January 2nd. Their hands are linked, Sarah trotting in front of them and if that isn’t the sign of a joined unit, Darcy didn’t know what was.  

“Yes! I knew it!”

Darcy drops Steve’s hand. “Knew what, Big Bird?” She looks at Steve, whose face reflects the confusion she feels.

Clint shushes her, running for the door. “Don’t go anywhere, I gotta get everyone else!”

Neither of them have time to question what in the heck is going on when Clint returns a moment later with half the occupants of the tower. “We have a winner in our midst. Who had December 19th?”

Natasha raises her hand. “I did.”

“New Years Eve!” Sam calls out.

“Fifth night of Hanukkah,” Wanda says, pulling a fifty dollar bill from her pocket.

Darcy gapes. “You all took _bets_ on if we’d get together?”

“Not _if,”_ Tony tells her with a shit eating grin. “ _When.”_

“When – what --?” Steve’s drowned out by the everyone else rapidly comparing (and bickering) over the dates they had chosen.

The talking gets loud and Darcy is getting ready to just grab her family and sneak out when Sarah gets up on top of the coffee table and bellows at the top of her lungs, “ _Excuse me!”_

That does it. Heavy silence falls across the small room and all eyes shift to Darcy’s incredible daughter.

Sarah puts a hand on her hip, shaking her head at the group like they are the silliest creatures in the world. “It was _I_ that had Christmas morning. And Christmas morning was when it happened.”

“Shit she did.”

Steve bursts into laughter. Darcy gapes at Sarah, pointing a shaking hand. “You – you – you little –“

Sarah jumps down from the table and holds out her hand. One by one, each adult passes by her and throws a bill into her hand. Darcy’s jaw slides to the ground as she watches the pile of money get higher in Sarah’s hand, barely noticing when Jane walks by and yanks her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you.” She reaches over to gently tap Steve’s arm. “Both of you.”

The warm and fuzzies begin to spread into Darcy’s belly. She smacks a kiss to Jane’s cheek, watching her best friend leave with the rest of this crazy group before turning back to Sarah. Her daughter does have the good graces to look a little guilty despite the playful smile appearing on her lips.

“So you were in on this?” Darcy asks, waving a hand. “All of it? Partners in crime with your uncle and grandmother?”

“I learned it from you!” Sarah protests.

Steve laughs again. “She’s got you there, Darce.”

Darcy groans, patting Sarah on top of her head. “I’ve been too much of a negative influence. Go, spend time with your father and get some of that land of the free, home of the brave to rub off on you. I’ve got a few things I need to do anyway.”

Steve leans over and presses a light kiss to Darcy’s mouth. “I’ll see you later.”

Sarah goes to follow her father, the money still clutched in her hands. “Hey Sarah.” She turns and beams when her mother holds up a hand, and she slaps it with her own. “That’s my girl.”

-;

Darcy has Friday take her up to her apartment. There’s a conversation she needs to have with Jane that she’s kind of dreading. Friday seems to sense her unease and slows the elevator down to a crawl. The doors opening on her floor are delayed for a moment and when they finally do, Darcy looks up to the ceiling. “Thanks Fri-girl.”

“ _I do try, Ms. Lewis.”_

She walks slowly down the hallway to her apartment, taking a deep breath before pushing open the door.

And promptly tripping over a box.

Darcy clampers to her feet, biting back a few colorful curses as she rubs at her throbbing knee. Looking around, she sees about fifteen boxes laying around on the living room floor, some empty and some with their lids open, spilling contents everywhere.

“What in the Asgard...Jane!”

The scientist pops her head out of the bedroom, long hair flopping into her face. “What?”

Darcy points to the boxes. “Uh, what’s this?”

“Oh! That!”

“Yeah, _that._ What’s going on?”

“Well,” Jane walks out of the bedroom, carrying a dry cleaning bag full of what Darcy sees is grown up clothes – a business suit and two blazers. “I did some thinking and well, when everyone was making bets about how long it would take for you and Steve to finally get together, I realized that either way, it was best for you two to live together with Sarah.”

Darcy’s eyebrows shoot up her forehead, threatening to disappear into her hair. “You _did?”_

“So Tony had all of these boxes sent up, I had to tell him to not hire someone to do the moving for me and I’ve been packing to move my stuff into one of the vacant apartments below the labs. Gee, we’ve only been here about five months and I’ve sure accrued a lot of crap.” She reaches into the box at her feet and pulls out a large floppy _bright_ green hat. “I think that’s yours actually.”

A second passes before Jane realizes Darcy is still staring openmouthed at her. _“What?”_

Darcy slaps her mouth shut, swallowing a few times to get the moisture back on her tongue. “Uh, _wow._ Um, I was coming up here to talk to you about that.”

“You were gonna throw me out?”

Before Darcy can protest she sees a small grin on Jane’s lips. “Well, I was actually going to suggest you and Steve switch apartments. So you will still be near and you’re not all the way down in the basement of doom by the labs.”

Jane scoffs out a laugh. “It’s _not_ the basement – okay it kind of is. Uh, that sounds _fantastic._ Let’s do it.” She leans down to pull something else out of the box at her feet. “Say Darce, _oof!”_ Jane’s feet nearly fall out from under her as she manages to catch herself on Darcy’s shoulders when the younger woman throws her arms around her. “What’s this for?”

“I love you,” Darcy murmurs in her ear. “You know that, right?”

Jane gently pulls away. “I love you too.” She nudges the box with her foot. “How about you help me with this and then fill me in with all the details of your ‘get together’,” she adds with a playful smirk, wiggling her fingers in the air for emphasis. “Was it as good as you remember?”

Darcy’s ears flush a hot red. “We didn’t actually ‘get together’,” she says. “But, uh, _yeah.”_

Jane makes a noise. “Details please. I’m still not getting any so I have to live vicariously through you.”

Darcy laughs.

-;

“Did your mother teach you how to do that?” Steve gestures to the money in Sarah’s hands.

“Do what?” Sarah asks innocently. She passes the cash to him. “Mommy usually lets me keep some and puts the rest away somewhere.”

“Oh! Okay,” Steve looks down at the cash, passing two fifties back to Sarah. “Go nuts.”

Sarah chuckles, pocketing the money. Steve walks into his kitchen and pokes around in the fridge to find some sort of fixings for lunch. He makes a mental note to go to the grocery store on the corner later. Tony always whined and told him to just have stuff delivered but that didn’t feel right. Didn’t feel, well natural.

“Sarah, go into my room. There’s a present for you on the bed, it was too big for me to take with us.”

Sarah’s head cocks with interest and she trots into the bedroom, letting out a happy squeal a few moments later. When Steve had learned that Sarah adored traditional Disney animation, he had gone around and started collecting every Disney film on DVD, stopping at ‘The Princess and the Frog’. Those were Darcy’s favorite movies to watch too. His time in Maine he had managed to catch up with everything that had been made post ‘Bambi’. (He hated ‘Bambi’ by the way. The other one he despised and Darcy had refused to watch when it popped up on Netflix was ‘The Fox and the Hound’.)

“Daddy, can we watch ‘Pinocchio’?”

Steve chokes on the water he had just taken a large gulp of. “Uh, can we skip that one? How about ‘Alice in Wonderland’?”

Sarah nods, grinning. “Okay!”

He turns back to his fridge and pulls out a jar of jelly and pops the top off to take a sniff. Peanut butter never goes bad so he finds the jar of that in the cupboard and sets to preparing a couple of sandwiches on honey wheat bread. Sarah’s puttering around with his dvd player, popping the DVD in with a satisfied sound. “I’m bad at this.”

Steve snorts, holding up the plate of food. “Peanut butter okay?”

Sarah hums in the back of her throat, accepting the plate he offers her. “Thank you, Daddy.”

His heart skips a beat. Steve doesn’t think he will ever get used to that.

It takes one bite of the sandwich for it to happen.

Sarah starts to cough, dropping the sandwich back onto her plate. Steve pushes the food aside, gently thumping her on the back. He had learned ages ago that she had a habit of taking bites that were too big while eating and Darcy had told him a light thump on her back usually helped.

But this time it was different.

The food comes loose but Sarah continues to gasp and choke, patting her throat with her fingertips.

She’s having an asthma attack.

Steve swears under his breath. He’s never witnessed this before. Darcy had walked him through what to do if an attack ever did occur but it hadn't. He had thought – hoped she wasn’t doomed to have the same problems he did.

“Where’s your inhaler?!”

Sarah points to the bag that Darcy had passed him before going to talk to Jane, the bag he had discarded by the doorway when they came into the apartment. He dives on it, pulling the pockets apart before finding the inhaler. Which is empty.

“Shit!” He digs around more, finally finding the extra case of medication and pulling one tube out, popping it into the end of the inhaler. Sarah continues to cough and wheeze, and to his shock, had gotten right off the sofa and followed him. She eagerly yanks the inhaler out of his hands and takes two deep puffs, water streaming from her eyes.

Steve remembers what his mother did for him when this would happen well before there was anything that could relieve his horrible gasps and the distinct rattle of death in his chest. He slides around Sarah’s back, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in. She sinks against his chest and they both practically fall to the floor. A few more coughs and chokes leave her and it hurts just so much.

When she starts to cry he does too but he doesn’t let her see his tears. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.”

Sarah Rogers would tell him that, over and over as he fought for each breath. Sometimes he had wondered if it would just be easier if he were dead. His mother was young, she could go out and start her life over.

But she was always there, always holding onto him and keeping him there. Right up until the end.

-;

“Hey, sorry I’m a little late. I was helping Jane –“ Darcy freezes the moment she sees Steve’s hunched form. “What happened?”

Steve turns slowly, a mug of coffee in his hand. “Sarah had an asthma attack.”

“Is she all right? Where --?” When she steps forward she sees Sarah curled on the couch, fast asleep. “Shit.”

“She’s okay. She had to tell _me_ what to do to help her,” Steve makes a strangled noise.

Darcy reaches for him. “Oh Steve –“ She tries not to be hurt when he sidesteps her.

“No Darcy, please don’t.”

“ _Steve.”_

“I _froze,_ Darcy. If she hadn’t known what to do then what –“

“That didn’t happen though!” Darcy whisper-yells. “Listen Rogers, that’s not what being a parent is. Focusing on the what-ifs will make you want to put her in a bubble and leave her there so the world can’t hurt her.”

“ _If_ she hadn’t –“ His voice is cut off when Darcy suddenly hugs him hard. His arms hang slack at his sides for a moment and Darcy nudges them up so they settle on her waist. “I’d...” Whatever else he is going to say is forgotten and he breathes in, trying to focus on the smell of strawberries and coconut in Darcy’s hair.

A little while later, they sit on the floor, leaning against the connecting armchair beside the sofa. Sarah sleeps on, still wrapped in blankets as Cinderella plays on the television. Darcy’s fingers are looped in Steve’s, eyes closed as she breathes in deep. “I’ve considered wrapping her in bubble wrap every time she’s left the house.”

Steve chuckles dryly. “I’m with you there.”

“The last time she had an asthma attack, it sent her to the hospital. She had to do the nebulizer thing and it took hours before she could breathe right. I don’t think I’d ever been so frightened in my life.”

“That was the one thing I liked the most about the serum,” Steve admits. “Being able to actually _breathe._ The pain I could handle but that feeling of every time you took a breath, it could get stuck and you’d never find it again.”

“Sarah described something like that too,” Darcy says. She sighs, gaze flickering to her daughter. “She’s so much like you.”

Steve snorts in disbelief. “Because she has asthma?”

“No smartass. She’s...she’s a little shit,” Darcy says with a quiet laugh. “She’s been through so much and always came out swinging. She never gives up and I know that sounds stupid to say that about a six and a half year old but - whatever happens, whatever thing that is thrown into her life, she just takes it and rolls with it.” Steve hums low in the back of his throat. “She’s been a fighter since the day she was born.” Darcy tugs on his fingers for a second before reaching up and tapping his chin. Only reluctantly does Steve swivel his gaze onto her. “We made that girl. She’s going to be fine.”

Darcy can tell that this isn’t doing much to get him to calm down or stop worrying. She isn’t really expecting that either.

The moment Sarah was placed in her arms after she woke up from the anesthesia, Darcy knew her life was never going to be the same. The life she had lived was never easy and yeah she had seen some crazy shit. It took a tiny little person with big blue eyes to totally fuck her up.

And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You’re a good dad, Steve. You earned the title and Sarah knows it. I’m not going to constantly reassure you of that, that’s not my job.”

“I know, Darce.”

“Then let this go.” She shifts in her seat to look at him. “She inherited a disease that she _will_ grow out of. That’s not your fault.”

“But –“

 _“Stop.”_ Darcy gently touches his cheek again, and he lets her kiss him, her forehead resting against his.

He returns the kiss after a second, his own hands coming up to cradle her face. They don’t pull away until Darcy needs to breathe and when she does, she’s gasping.

The air tastes so good.

His nose brushes against her cheek, fingers threading into her ponytail. “I love you.”

They can make this work. They _will_.

That’s what they did.

“I love you too.”

-;

Moving takes longer than Darcy anticipated. Tony’s still bitching about her not letting him get movers in there and Darcy points to Steve’s muscles for emphasis. A snickering Pepper pinches one of Tony’s love handles and they don’t see him again for the rest of the day.

“That is the last box.”

Darcy looks around the apartment and tries not to whine. She _hates_ packing and unpacking and that’s all she seems to do lately. “How much crap do you have, Janey?”

“Hey! I still think most of this stuff is yours,” Jane leans down to pick up one of the boxes and carries it towards the bedroom. “Be happy I was all for you three moving in together.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Darcy waves a dismissive hand. “You are the best.”

“Damn right,” Jane agrees. “Hey by the way, now that I am out of the apartment and Rogers is in, perhaps it would be time for that ‘get together’.”

“Get together?” Darcy repeats, not quite catching it.

“A _‘get together’,”_ Jane says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “The two of you look like you are about to explode.”

Oh. _Oh._ “Is it that obvious?”

“Listen, I was walking by the gym last night and I heard someone pounding on one of the bags. I peeked in and saw it was Steve. He had three recently deceased bags laying on the floor beside him.”

“He’s back on the senseless murder of punching bags?!” Darcy gasps. Jane rolls her eyes. “Whatever shall we do?!”

“I know what you can do. Sex up Captain America and get it over with. I know you want too.” For emphasis, Jane points to Darcy’s hands. When she looks down, her knuckles have turned white from gripping the sides of the rickety thingamabob that Jane just will not part with. “Put the baby down and back away slowly.”

“Oh _Jane.”_ Before she can make fun of her friend anymore, Steve walks in.

“She’s right.”

“Huh?” Darcy sees a grin playing on Steve’s lips. There’s a smear of dust on his neck, along with what looks to be a bruise forming on the back of his right hand and she wonders how that happened. “How much of that did you hear?” she asks, feeling herself turning very red.

He doesn’t answer, shifting on his heel. “I’m rusty at this so forgive me but Darcy Lewis, would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night?”

Jane gasps, looking back and forth between the two of them like she’s watching a tennis match. “Where would we go, Captain Rogers?”

Steve’s grin widens. “Wherever you want.”

Jane drops whatever she’s holding, the loud clatter breaking both out of their reverie. “Get a room!”

Darcy laughs, happier than she had been in ages.

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave your thoughts in the box below for the next chapter! *wink wink* It's gonna be a good one.


	17. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Emotional smut ahead.

a/n2: Special thanks to this [incredible gal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aenaria) for all her help. Go read her stuff if you haven't already. 

.

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“Do you really think it was a good idea leaving Sarah with Tony and Jane?”

“Don’t be worried about Sarah, worry about Jane and Tony. Mostly Tony. Jane knows how our girl ticks, Tony still hasn’t really gotten the hang of it yet.”

The waitress brings them their coffee and Darcy takes that moment to look around.

She had put her foot down at the fancy-schmancy restaurant option. She hated dressing up, she felt awkward and uncomfortable every time she had had to go to a high-class place and she always managed to dump food in her lap. That wasn’t going to happen tonight, especially since she was looking to get laid.

So the night had begun with a movie, some comedy that had come out on New Year’s Eve. The movie had barely been an afterthought and Steve fended her off from stealing his peanut M&M’s through most of the film while he swore up and down he had seen something just like this back in 1940.

“But Hollywood has no originality anymore, you know that.”

Steve shrugs, contemplating her words. “You’re right and I hate that.”

Darcy’s gaze flits around the small shop. “Does this remind you of anything?”

Maine was everywhere and Darcy didn’t really understand why. Was it because of the man in front of her? The child back in her apartment?

The hope?

Darcy shrugged at nothing in particular and catches Steve’s soft gaze. “Reminds me of home.”

The thing was, _yes,_ Maine was a big part of her. The six years she had spent there had been good and the year she had had Steve with her had been damn delightful. The place would always be _a_ home to her. A place that she longed to return but in the end, she didn’t think she ever would.

She didn’t need too.

Home was here, in the form of a scatterbrained scientist, a loud mouthed engineer, and a six year old troublemaker.

Home was the man in front of her.

“Hey, it stopped snowing.”

Darcy looks out the window, seeing the light from the street lamps starting to shine through the early evening dim. “Wanna walk?”

-;

Pepper was away in Boston for the next two nights, leaving him alone with Foster and his niece.

Truth be told, the kid still scared the shit out of him. He wasn’t _good_ with kids, never had been. Maybe it had been best he never knew Darcy until now because he most definitely would have fucked her up quite bad.

Tony feels a twinge of envy at the thought. Darcy got away from Howard, her mother had made sure of that. That she had a good life, far away from anything Stark-like.

“Tony?”

He looks down at Sarah when she pulls on his sleeve. Jane smirks from her spot on the sofa, a tablet in her lap. He’s definitely on his own.

“What’s up, shortstack?”

Sarah wrinkles her nose at the term and he makes a mental note to find a better nickname. “Can you help me with this?” She holds up a folder and he gapes for a full three seconds.

“Homework?” Yeah, so he may have gotten his degree from MIT when he was just a few years older than Sarah herself but –

Jane laughs. “It’s spelling, it won’t kill you.”

Spelling was never his strong suit, Tony admitted to himself. Pepper would always cover his reports in bright red pen before he would turn them over to Fury or some other big wig that was higher up than him.

“Maybe you should do that,” Tony says.

“You’re the caretaker tonight,” Jane replies and he scowls.

“All right, goose, let’s go spell some shit.”

Another wrinkled nose is his answer. Dammit.

Tthe words are simple and he quizzes her a little while later as Jane putters in the kitchen. Water whistles in the tea kettle and Tony thanks her as she places a mug in front of him, filled with what he gathers is herbal tea for some odd reason. Hot chocolate is given to Sarah and the younger doctor herself sucks at what Tony guesses is instant coffee.

“Skyscraper.”

“S-K-Y-S-C-R-A-P-E-R?”

Tony puts the list back down on the table. “Perfect. Good job, bug.”

Sarah snickers, getting up from her chair and reaching over to pat his arm. “You don’t have to have a nickname for me, uncle Tony.”

“I don’t?”

She shakes her head. “Not yet? You’ll find the perfect one.” And then she’s gone from the kitchen, carrying her mug with her.

Tony looks up at Jane. “If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that was Rogers’ child.”

Jane narrows her eyes, confused for a moment before snorting. “Come on, Iron Man, let’s make dinner for the kid while she finishes her homework.”

-;

She spills her coffee on his shirt.

_Again._

Steve’s wiping at the excess liquid with the wad of napkins Darcy had grabbed before they had left the coffee shop, a smile pulling the corner of his lips up. “You still haven’t lost your touch, have you?”

Darcy’s face burns with embarrassment. “I cannot believe I just did that.”

Pure clumsiness had kicked in when someone had hollered at Darcy from inside the shop – she had left her wallet behind – and she had turned the same time Steve did and her coffee had ended up dumped down his jacket and into his shirt. The barista who had brought the wallet out was currently making her a new coffee that Darcy was wondering how long it would take to drown herself in.  

“Don’t worry,” Steve says, his grin kind of goofy and making her weak in the knees. “Makes me love you even more.”

A beat passes before either of them realize what had just passed his lips. Steve has the good grace to look a little embarrassed at the sappy thing he had said and if the barista hadn’t come out at that moment, Darcy seriously would have swooped on him and kissed him stupid.

She shakily thanks the girl and takes a long draft of the new coffee, letting it burn the back of her throat. Darcy _knew_ this man, she couldn’t understand why she felt like a twelve year old with her first crush.

 _Get-together._ Jane’s words suddenly appear in her head like the other woman was standing right there saying the words in her ear. Darcy swats the thought away, ignoring the fact that she had put on her ‘do-me’ bra this morning. Her cheeks burn again when she remembers what had happened on their first actual date and she had dumped wine all down his front.

Oh, she loved that memory. It had been ages since she had let herself actually go through it again, the pain still so fresh in her mind.

But now... _now..._

Steve tosses the soggy napkins into a nearby trash can, taking the coffee she had been holding while he cleaned himself up. He waves his fingers at the new one. “You owe me a sip.” She hands it over and he takes a gulp, making a face as he gives it back. “Blech.”

“You don’t like vanilla, dummy.”

“True.”

Snow is starting to fall again. Darcy looks up to the sky, just barely making out a few stars among the hundreds of red and blue blinking satellites as the clouds roll in. Peace sank into her bones and as she looked over at Steve’s face she realized that she wanted the one thing that Jane had teased her about.

But _more_.

Love swells in her heart and she reaches for him. He doesn’t have time to say anything as she gently pulls his mouth down to hers. Snowflakes land on her nose and when they both finally come up for air, they’re stuck to his eyelashes.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

_Yeah._

-;

Jane’s phone goes off as she tiptoes out of her room. Sarah had passed out on her bed about twenty minutes ago, her art book and pencils spread about the bed. Jane had just gathered the stuff up and placed it on a shelf in an effort to avoid her work being smudged. Jane pulls her phone out of her pocket, looking down at the message before chuckling.

“What’s up?”

She shakes her head. “Darcy and Steve are _not_ making it back tonight.”

“Why – oh gross, that’s my sister, Foster!”

Jane smirks at Tony, replacing the phone in her pocket. “Get used to it, Stark. Darcy is a healthy, _sexual_ human being and –“

“I swear on the sweet baby Jesus, Foster –“

Jane laughs, giving Tony a shove in the shoulder. “Let’s go have our dinner.”

“Oooh I ordered Chinese. I’m not eating that healthy crap you made for the kid.”  

-;

Steve can barely get the key card into the slot on the hotel door, nearly dropping it as Darcy’s lips press to his throat. “Damn, I hope you won’t have that much trouble doing other stuff, Rogers.”

He’s about ready to kick the door down when the small green light goes on and the door swings open. He slams the card down on the nearest flat surface before turning back to Darcy and hungrily claiming her mouth. Her teeth sink into his bottom lip, shoulders wriggling as she struggles to pull off her coat. He yanks the beanie from the top of her head, her chestnut tresses falling freely down her back in soft waves that he slides his fingers through.

“Missed you,” he murmurs against her mouth. “So fucking much.”

She pulls on the buttons of his coat. “Get this thing off, I want you naked.”

He does as he’s told with a cheerful sound and it’s so adorable that it’s all Darcy can do not to actually _squeal_ in front of him. Darcy peppers kisses on every inch of skin that becomes exposed as the clothing is pulled away. His skin tastes like the coffee she had dumped on him and Darcy doesn’t know why that makes her smile.

As she slides her sweater up and over her head and unclasps her bra, she finds that she doesn’t want to wait much longer. She just wants to feel him, hold him in her arms and to find that little bit of heaven once again.

Falling backwards onto the bed, Darcy pulls Steve down on top of her, seeking his mouth. He bids her entrance, her tongue slipping inside to explore. “Fuck me,” she whispers a moment later. “We have time for everything else later, I just want you too –“ she hisses as a finger slides inside, throwing her head back against the pillows.

Steve’s mouth works down her chin, tongue flicking against the hollow of her throat. His other hand cups her breast, a second finger easing into her. Darcy sighs, her nails lightly scraping over his back. She finds the faded lines there, the scars that she had questioned him about all those other times and he had shaken her words away.

Of course, it all made sense now.

She wants to explore everything on this man’s body. She wants to know every nook and cranny and to feel it with her fingers and mouth and imprint it all to memory.

He is hers and she is his.

Forever and always.

A tear slips down the side of her face as Steve guides himself to her entrance and eases inside. A few more tears fall that Steve gently kisses away. She locks her ankles around his back, digging in her heels with a soft growl as Steve starts to pull back out and then suddenly, with a crash of pleasure, pushes back in.

His cock drags just right against her clit and it’s enough to send her right to the moon. She brushes her hands against the sides of his face, thumb flicking his chin as she meets his eyes. She wants to see his eyes as they come together.

Another hiss leaves her mouth, silenced and swallowed by his. His hips snap harder against hers, almost frantic like and she holds on like she has fallen overboard and doesn’t want to drown.

Oh but she does. The different colors of blue and green in his eyes are hypnotizing, and oh, god... _god..._

Steve grunts against her neck as he lifts up one last time, and she could cry. She brings his mouth to hers again, capturing his moans as they both come, her with a half sob.

If there is a heaven, this is it.

That sounds ridiculous and dumb. Shit, it makes her sounds like a girl that just had her brains fucked out – which okay, she _had_ but give her a break.

This is different from any other partner she had had. Maybe it’s because since the last time she had seen Steve, the most action she had had was a guy that had gotten a little too handsy at a date in the park and she had had to tase him in the balls and now...

She loves him. Oh _god_ how she loves him.

And she’s home.

He slumps against her, both falling from that gorgeous high and she lets him. A few moments later he rolls to the side and she immediately feels cold from the loss of his warmth. Like he had read her thoughts, he tugs the blankets up over the both of them before wrapping his arm around her middle and pulling her flush against his chest.

“Well that was...worth the wait,” she mutters.

A deep chuckle rumbles in his chest. “Definitely not disappointing.”

“Definitely,” she agrees and with a smirk, she flips him a thumbs up.

He kisses her temple, eyelashes fluttering against her skin. “We have the room until noon tomorrow. I’d say let’s make the most of it.”

“Agreed,” Darcy yawns, shifting so they are facing each other. She curls into his chest, her ear pressed against his heart. The steady _thump thump_ tells her that this is not a glorious dream. That this is real and he is not going to disappear on her once again.

She falls asleep to the song of his life force.

-;

Jane wakes up at seven that morning to a text from Darcy.

_We’ll be home this afternoon. Using this hotel room for everything it has to offer._

Jane wrinkles her nose. Okay, that’s too much detail before her morning coffee and pop tarts.

Sarah’s delighted to get pop tarts for breakfast and Jane’s tempted to let the kid have some coffee too when she sees the circles under the little girl’s eyes. “Tough night?”

Sarah nods, taking a bite of the pastry. “Yeah. Too much moving around.”

“I get ya there, honey.”

After dropping Sarah off at school, Jane heads back to the tower and gets to work in the labs with Bruce. To her surprise, Tony is there too. “What’s this?”

Tony has a small remote in his hand. “We have some...stuff to share with you. Kind of related to the shit that you had in you a few years back.”

“The shit?” Jane repeats. “Wait, are you talking about the Aether?”

Those were some crappy memories she had no interest in revisiting.

Bruce nods and at least he has the good graces to look a little guilty. “I’m sorry Jane, I know that time is hard to think about but this is kind of important.” He smacks Tony’s arm. “Don’t be a dumbass.”

“Ow, rude.” Tony rubs the spot on his arm where Bruce had hit him before hitting a button on his remote. “So, the Infinity stones –“

Jane’s phone rings.

“Even ruder,” Tony says as Jane picks it up.

A tinny voice greets her. “ _Is this Dr. Foster?”_

“Uh yes it is. Who’s this?”

_“Dr. Foster, this is Meredith Conners, principal of Rose Academy. You are the emergency contact for Sarah Lewis?”_

Jane’s heart starts to hammer loudly. “Yeah I am. Is she okay? What’s wrong?”

“ _Sarah’s fine. We need you to come down here to pick her up. We’ve been trying her parents for the last hour but no one is picking up the phone. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”_

“Oh. All right, I will see you soon.” Jane hangs up the phone, looking back at the two men in front of her. “I gotta go. That was Sarah’s school, they need me to come get her.”

Worry crosses Tony’s face. “Is she all right?”

“The principal says she’s fine, that she will explain everything when I get there.”

“What about Darcy and Steve?” Bruce asks.

“Phones seem to be turned off,” Jane replies. She looks down at her phone screen and quickly types in a text that she sends to both Steve and Darcy.

“Here, we’ll take my car,” Tony says. Jane opens her mouth to protest. “No I insist, it will be quicker that way.” He turns around to Bruce. “Bruce, hold down the fort. I shall return.”

Jane rolls her eyes, trotting after the eager engineer.

The ride _is_ quick, to her grand surprise. Jane wonders if Tony controls the traffic in some way.

They both try Darcy and Steve’s phones again. Still no answer.

The security guard buzzes them inside the school once they produce their IDs and to Jane’s relief, the principal’s office is just down the hall. A young woman with red hair directs them inside where they see another woman, older this time and a bit severe like she had a headache that just wouldn’t go away.

“Dr. Foster?”

Jane nods. “Yeah, that’s me. Where’s Sarah?”

Meredith points to another door – gee how many doors were in this place?. “She’s in there with my secretary. She’s fine,” she adds when she sees Jane open her mouth. The older woman turns her gaze to Tony. “Are you Mr. Foster?”

Jane promptly chokes. “No, no, no, this is Sarah’s uncle, Anthony Stark.”

Meredith’s eyebrows threaten to disappear into her cap-like bun. “Oh. That is news to me.”

“My sister doesn’t go around yelling about these things,” Tony mutters.

Meredith points to the chairs across from her desk and they both sit. “Sarah was in a bit of an altercation this morning in class.”

“An altercation?” Tony repeats.

Meredith nods. “She confronted a problem child who had been harassing another student. At the moment the teacher was occupied with a few students and hadn’t yet seen what was going on. When Sarah told him to stop bullying the other student, he told her to make him and well...” Jane swears there’s a smile attempting to break onto the principal’s lips. “She did.”

“She did?” Jane says. “Uh...how so?”

“She hit the boy so hard that his nose started to bleed and she now has a bruise on her hand.”

Tony burst out laughing. “That’s my girl.” At the principal and Jane’s glares, his smile drops. “Not good?”

Jane shakes her head. “ _No._ Sarah cannot solve her problems with her fists!”

“Oh please, you did,” Tony says and Jane frowns.

“That was different.” But, oh did decking Loki in the puss feel so good. “Is Sarah in trouble?”

“No she is not,” Meredith says. “I know that doesn’t sound right but this child’s behavior has been a serious issue for quite some time and he is going to be transferred to another school. I’ve reached out to the parents to no avail and this was the last straw. What Sarah did wasn’t...appropriate.” Jane can tell the principal is choosing her words very carefully. “But I understand why she did it. So no suspension, no detention, but she does need to go home. Can I expect all of this information will be relayed to Sarah’s parents or do I need to make a call when they become available?”

Jane quickly shifts in her seat. “No, no I will make sure they hear everything. Sorry about that, they are on a little trip and I guess they turned their phones off. Sarah’s been in my care since they left.”

The principal nods in understanding. “All right then. If you’d like to go get her –“

“Thank you!” Jane jumps to her feet and darts through that door, Tony right on her heels. Sarah jumps a bit in her chair, smiling a little at her. “Sarah, kiddo what were you thinking?’

Sarah does try her best to look ashamed. Tony kneels down beside her chair, examining the hand that is covered by a defrosting bag of peas. “Let’s look at that, Left Hook Lacy.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind, just let me see your hand.”

Jane gently brushes the curls from Sarah’s eyes as Tony lifts the bag of peas off of Sarah’s fist. “Ooh, you got quite a bump here. Gonna be bruised for a while.”

“Does it hurt?”

Sarah looks away. “Just a little.” She hesitates with the next words. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

“They’re still away but they should be back this afternoon,” Jane replies. “Sarah, what were thinking, doing that? Was this boy bigger than you?”

“No, not much!”

“He was,” says the receptionist from her desk. “Sarah’s the smallest in her class. The teacher says it was like watching David and Goliath. Of course he didn’t catch up until after she had decked the boy but –“

Jane and Tony exchange a look over the top of Sarah’s head. “Let’s go back to the tower and then we will talk about this, okay?” Sarah nods in agreement, waving goodbye to the receptionist as she follows Jane to the door. Tony gently taps her shoulder before holding out his hand. Sarah grins, slapping her good hand against it.

“I saw that. Don’t encourage her.”

-;

Darcy wakes up to Steve’s head between her thighs.

Oh yeah, she could get used to this.

She tries to relax, but every touch of his tongue to her folds makes her muscles tighten and her legs clamp tightly around his head. Steve chuckles, gently easing his hands against the insides of her thighs. He doesn’t stop though, that tongue doing wondrous things to every cell in her body. Electricity slides up her spine and Darcy feels like she is about to explode into a million multicolored little particles and holy _fuck_ would that be a wonderful way to die.

Steve’s tongue slides against her clit again, just the lightest of touches this time and she comes apart like an inferno. A guttural growl leaves her lips and she swears her eyes roll back in her head. She cannot see anything and she cannot do anything but reach out blindly and pull his mouth to hers. She tastes herself on his lips and damn it’s the hottest thing ever.

Steve kisses her back just as eagerly, sighing into her mouth. “God I love you.”

“You just gave me the best orgasm of my life and _you_ love _me?”_

He grins, pecking a kiss to each cheek and then her nose. “Get used to it.”

-;

Jane gets off the elevator first with Sarah’s hand clasped in hers. “I don’t get why the kid needs a lecture,” Tony whines from behind Sarah.

“It’s not a _lecture,”_ Jane explains, Friday unlocking the apartment door before she can even touch it.

“It’s a lecture,” Sarah says.

Jane scowls. “Inside, young lady.” She points inside while glaring at Tony. “You too.”

“Oh but _Mom....”_

They walk into the apartment and Jane notices that there are a few boxes still piled in the corners, which is surprising to her. As long as she’s known Darcy and Steve, neither of them had allowed stuff to pile up or be ignored. That was _her_ job.

The flyaway thought leaves her mind as Sarah sinks down onto the couch, folding her arms in front of her chest. Tony mimics her position, pouted lip and all and Jane wonders how the hell Darcy does this. As she opens her mouth to begin, the door opens and Darcy and Steve stumble in.

“Whoa – what are you doing home?” Darcy drops her bag on the side table, walking over to stand in front of Sarah. “Is everything okay?”

“What happened to your hand?”

“Nothing!” Sarah insists, trying to hide her fist underneath her sleeve. Jane clears her throat loudly. “Okay _something.”_

“She got into a fight today at school. The school tried to get a hold of you two but apparently you had your phones off while you...shivered your timbers,” Tony adds with a smirk and Jane rolls her eyes.

Darcy turns bright red. “Ha ha.”

“So they called Jane and I tagged along,” Tony shrugs.

“You got into a fight?” Darcy says to Sarah. “That’s not like you.”

“Oh please, yes it is,” Tony laughs. Now it’s Steve that turns red. “This is just the beginning.”

“What exactly happened?” Steve cuts in.

“It was Joey Schre. He was being so mean to Evan Logan again and I kept trying to get the teacher to see and he was too busy,” Sarah burst out angrily.

“Joey Schre, that kid that knocked into you in the hallway when I was coming to pick you up a few weeks ago?” Darcy looks at the others. “Chubby little brat, I came this close to –“

“Darcy!”

“Sorry.”

Sarah nods. “He’s a big meanie. And he was so awful to Evan and even pushed him out of his seat. I just...”

“She punched the kid so hard that she hurt her hand,” Tony gently holds up Sarah’s hand. “You two got a little slugger on your hands. Wait! _Slugger,_ ” He glances sideways at Sarah, who grins. “Did I get it?”

Sarah nods. “You did, uncle Tony.”

“Yes!”

“Finally finding appropriate nicknames aside, I was just about to give her the talk about how ‘using our fists is bad’,” Jane says pointedly. “You know that talk, right?”

“Yeah, I had that talk with you after you got back from Asgard,” Darcy replies and Jane groans.

“And I had that talk with you after you tased every asshole from here to Tallahassee.”

“I didn’t use my fists, did I?”

“It still counts! I mean, if anyone should be giving her this talk, it’s you,” Jane gestures wildly at Steve.

“ _Me?”_

“Yeah wasn’t that your thing when you were a little skinny shit in the thirties?” Tony asks. “Not liking bullies and rot like that?”

“Shut up, Tony.”

Darcy looks down at her daughter and almost laughs. “You had no idea about any of this, did you?”

Sarah shakes her head, more amused than bewildered. “No, but I’d like too.”

So they tell her. Everything.

-;

“I think I just set my own kid up for ten years of therapy.”

Jane snorts. “She’s your kid. She’ll be fine.”

“With all the back pay I got from the military, we can afford it,” Steve offers.

“Do you think she got the message?” Tony inquires.

“I think she got the opposite actually. Our discussion was supposed to be ‘talking good, punching bad’ and I think we convinced her it was okay to kick anyone’s ass who annoyed her,” Darcy says.

Steve groans, leaning so far down on the table that his head thumps against the mahogany. Darcy gently brushes her fingers through his hair in what she hoped was a soothing manner. “This parenting thing is too hard.”

“Well tough, you’re stuck with it for the next fifty years.”

Steve covers her hand with his without even looking up. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Tony gags. “Well I’m gonna go, this is getting too gross to watch. Foster, you coming?”

Jane nods, getting to her feet. “Hey, thank you both for taking good care of her,” Darcy says.

“I finally found the right nickname, so I consider the day a success,” Tony puffs his chest out and Jane gives him a shove towards the door.

“Let’s go, tin man, we have stuff to do.”

They leave with soft goodbyes, moving out into the hallway with no words spoken between them until they get back to the labs. Bruce arrives not long after, almost like he had sensed them, reclaiming his seat at the end of the long table.

“Shall we continue?”

“Finish your sentence from this morning,” Jane says. Her heart rate kicks up a bit and so does her fear. She desperately tries to hold onto the goodness from this morning, because she knows her whole world is about to implode on its head, once again.

“The infinity stones,” Tony says, picking up his little remote and pointing it towards the wall. The hologram reappears and Jane watches as the six little stones take shape in the air.

“We need to find a way to destroy them.”

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUN! I think this was my favorite chapter to write. I hope you all enjoyed and please please leave all your thoughts in the box below. Much love, my lovies. 
> 
> ps. I KNOW the Stones are indestructible. Shhhh, you're gonna like what I got coming, lol. :)


	18. Barnes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Omg 900 kudos? Ya'll are amazing, thank you all so much. 
> 
> Btw, prepare for the angst because it's here.

.

.

He’s so warm.

Oh, it feels so nice. So nice and warm.

Darcy’s hands rest on his hips, holding him down as she works her mouth on his cock. He reaches down to brush his fingers through her hair, the warm feeling spreading up his stomach and right to his heart. Darcy’s left hand covers his, her lips sliding up and circling the tip of his cock. _Fuck,_ that is hot.

“Darce – _Darcy –“_ A low moan rips through him as Darcy continues to suck and lick, swallowing every drop. His legs tremble on the bed and Darcy smirks, releasing him with a soft pop. “ _Damn.”_

Darcy giggles, easing up to press her mouth to his. He slips his tongue inside of her mouth, tasting himself on her lips. “It’s definitely like riding a bike.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Darcy curls down and he slides an arm around her, pulling her against his chest. They lay there holding each other in the early morning dim, sunlight pooling across the bedroom floor as the minutes tick by.

Steve’s just about to fall back asleep, a rarity for him, when Darcy lets out a squawk and flies out of the bed. “Dammit, I’m late!”

He lifts his head up, groaning at her loss of warmth. “Late for what?” It’s almost amusing watching Darcy rush around the bedroom, pulling clothes out of the dresser and off the floor and yet not pulling them on. “What are you talking about?”

“I forgot all about it. I’m supposed to work with Clint and Wanda this morning and I am supposed to be there like _now.”_

Damn, the clothes are going on. Darcy notices the way his eyes follow the curve of her ass and a grin appears. “I’m sorry I can’t give you a show right now.”

“Later?” he asks hopefully and Darcy nods, leaning down to kiss him.

“Absolutely.”

-;

Friday puts the elevator on super speed for her and she runs barefoot down the hallway to where the small private gym waits. She skids to a stop before entering, yanking her sneaker on over her heel before taking a deep breath. With another one, the automatic doors slide open and she walks in.

Clint springs on her before she even has a chance to react. She falls backward onto the mats, Clint looming over, hands pressed to her shoulders. Darcy kicks a knee up and brings it right between his legs, sweat immediately pooling as she pushes out a shield, smacking it right into his face. Clint groans, sliding back onto his ass. He manages a thumbs up before brushing his fingers under his nose. “Good one.”

“Since when were surprise attacks part of the criteria?!” Darcy clampers to her feet, glaring at Clint as he wipes away a drop of blood from the end of his nose. “Care to enlighten me?”

“Do you really think an enemy will let you know when they are going to attack?” Wanda replies. Before Darcy can say anything else, her mind is suddenly filled with a dark fog.

She cannot see anything, she can’t feel anything.

_You know what to do._

Darcy groans, pushing, pulling, and –

_Get out of my head!_

Wanda’s gasps lifts Darcy up and out and when her vision clears, the younger woman is lying crumbled on the floor, holding her head in her hands. Whoa, okay she wasn’t expecting that. Darcy kneels down beside the other girl and for one horrible moment, she thinks she’s crying.

“Wanda, ya all right?”

Wanda nods, lifting her head up. Darcy sees a happy smile and breathes a huge sigh of relief. “You did it.”

“I did what?”

“On the first attempt too!” Wanda says, taking the hand that Clint offers her. “What I did should have – in lament’s terms – put you on your ass. You barely blinked before you –“

“Put you on your ass?” Darcy asks.

Clint snorts out a laugh and Wanda nods. “For lack of a better word, _yes._ Do you want to try it again?”

“Heck yeah!”

Darcy slides into the defensive position, unsure of who is going to attack first. Before anything happens further, all three of their phones go off with a loud shrill beep.

“Time to assemble?” Darcy reaches for hers which she had lost by the door. Glancing at the screen, she sees the text telling her to get her ass upstairs to the command center. “Be safe you guys.”

The elevator takes her up to her apartment to where she finds Steve already in uniform, trying to coax Sarah into handing over his shield. “Sarah, I really need to go!”

“But I’ve never gotten to see this thing before!” Sarah protests and with a giggle, she ducks down behind the giant frisbee.

“Sarah Jane.”

Sarah pouts at her mother’s stern face, getting up and letting her father snatch up the shield and place it on his back. “A portal opened in Newark,” Steve turns to her.

“And something came in?” Darcy asks.

“Yeah. Not sure what but it’s tearing apart an airport. All the civilians were evacuated out. This really shouldn’t take too long.”

Darcy nods. “All right. Uh –“ She flaps her arms and Steve places his gloved hands on her shoulders. “Be safe and get home in one piece, okay?”

He kisses her softly. “I will.” Sarah gets up from the couch and wraps her arms around Steve’s waist, hiding her face against his side. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

And then he’s gone.

Darcy changes her clothes and takes Sarah upstairs to the control center where an intern called Dana offers to take Sarah next door to watch movies. Once Sarah is gone, Darcy sits down at the largest screen and picks up the set of earbuds laying beside the keys, sticking them in her ears.

After typing a few codes in on the keys in front of her, the screen lights up with dozens of satellite images. It’s not too hard to find the monster that Steve was talking about and soon she’s got the exact coordinates but the thing is moving fast.

Darcy smacks a button on the side of the monitor and her ear piece crackles to life. She had heard the quinjet take off five minutes ago and the team should be arriving very soon. Thor was sitting this one out, they hadn’t heard anything from him in several weeks. Jane guessed that Asgard was having problems that he needed to handle.

As soon as the thought pops into her head she hears, “ _Lewis_?”

“We’re on the grid guys and gals,” Darcy hits a few more keys. “Your unfriendly is enjoying a delicious appetizer of taxis and is heading for the people.” She rattles off the coordinates and on the other end of the line she can hear Tony hitting keys on his control board.

“ _We’re right above him – holy shit.”_ Sam moans and Darcy wonders just how big this fellow is up close.

The screens change and she gets her answer.

The monster stands at least ten feet tall, maybe more with enormous metallic arms that look like they could hide actual people inside of them. It moves slowly across the tarmac of the airport lot, each step it takes thundering the building and bringing abandoned cars right up off of the street.

She sees the quinjet landing on the roof of the airport. There’s a blur of red and gold that shoots right out of the mouth of the plane, followed by black and scarlet wings. Darcy turns on the heat sensor, looking for any sign of civilian life and thankfully finding none. The nearest heartbeat is nearly a mile away, on the outskirt of the airport.

Natasha and Clint stick close together, holding on tightly to Bruce as he runs down the side of the building and drops them lightly on the ground. “Don’t get caught alone with this motherfucker,” Darcy warns. She hears a snort come from Steve and smiles, finding his tiny speck of blue.

Darcy double checks the heat sensors and Friday quickly quotes the vitals of all of the Avengers for her.

_“Carter, Sharon, heart rate, 135. Blood pressure is 121 over 65. Second heart rate, 89.”_

Second heart rate? What?

Before Darcy has a time to question what the hell the AI had just said in her ear, there’s a blast on the screen.

“Reactors?!” she spits. “Oh this robot troll is going down!”

 _“Damn right!”_ Tony crows and Darcy grins, watching her brother swoop almost lazily around the monster-robot’s head and fire off a few blasts into its face.

The monster swipes at Tony like he’s an irksome fly, Rhodey quickly coming to his rescue. Sam says something snarky that’s drowned out by the monster’s dragging footsteps and then suddenly, to Darcy’s horror, its fist makes contact with the chest plates of her brother’s suit and he’s flying.

“ _Tony!”_

Shit, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Rhodey takes off after Tony and Darcy hits her keys so hard that they twitch underneath her fingers. She pulls up a second screen, pulling it alongside the main one and finds a blurry shot of her brother still soaring through the air, no control at all.

“Friday! Vitals!”

_“Heartrate is 182 and climbing. Blood pressure 156 over 87 and rising.”_

Darcy turns a terrified gaze back to her screens and watches as her speck of blue gets bigger. The shield goes flying, knocking at the monster’s head in an attempt to give aid to Sam. The monster crashes again and Sharon just manages to get out of the way before it’s gigantic foot thunders down on top of her. Sam changes direction and swoops down to grab his wife by the upper arms and lifts her far out of the path of the monster.

The screen changes and she sees the black and silver of Rhodey’s suit charge through, just managing to catch Tony by the mere ankle before he slams into the concrete wall of some office building over five miles away.

 _“Son of a –“_ Darcy hears Tony give a gasp and her own heartrate finally begins to slow. _“I want that thing’s head!”_

Only within minutes, does he get it.

Just not the way any of them are hoping.

Wanda’s pushing the planes out of the way, attempting to build a barrier that just won’t hold. The monster slaps at the planes, pitching one of them straight into the air. Darcy rapidly types, searching for any planes that are currently in flight and finding one.

“Shit! Friday, what flight is that?”

_“It’s BA-182, circling in the air at the moment because it was due to land at Newark an hour ago.”_

“It’s gotta start flying again –“ Darcy pushes in a code and suddenly her screen flashes black before thousands of green letters start filling the space. “Uh – shit, Stark Tower to Flight BA-182, come in. Come in!”

This is not what she was expecting.

_“Flight BA-182 to Stark Tower. This is Captain Michaels, who am I talking too?”_

“Never mind that. You’ve got an unpiloted plane coming right at you. You need to stop your roundabout and get your ass in gear and get out of its way.”

 _“Unpiloted plane --?”_ The pilot repeats. “ _How do I know – holy shit!”_

“Told ya! Get your pointy ass out of its way!”

To her relief, the plane does manage to narrowly avoid the monster’s little surprise. The pilot babbles a thank you in her ear a few minutes later and Darcy cuts off the feed, looking back at her main screens.

She watches as the monster continues to move, pushing the Avengers farther and farther apart from each other. Vision fires at the monster’s fingers, missing each time to avoid actually being grabbed right out of the air. His cape is torn and tattered and the monster’s last grab pulls it clean off of his shoulders. Darcy watches the yellow cloth flutter in the wind and be carried away like a bird in flight.

Steve’s on the ground, flanking the monster. She can tell he’s looking for a path around him but something tells Darcy that the last thing he wants is to be blocked into the building. Sam and Sharon are shoved to the right when they try to come around towards Steve and Natasha’s suddenly yelling obscenities in Russian.

Pietro makes a whistling sound at his sister and she lifts the last plane up into the air. He takes off at full speed and Darcy’s vision cannot follow human or the plane. The bouncing crash of the plane off of the monster’s head is her answer.

The monster explodes.

-;

A full minute passes before Steve can get the ringing out of his ears.

The blast had knocked him well over two hundred yards and as he attempted to roll onto his stomach, he could feel a few ribs give way. He blinks rapidly, attempting to clear the smoke out of his eyes.

The monster hadn’t been a monster after all.

The Trojan War had been one of his favorite parts of ancient history to learn about when he was in school. The fact that so many soldiers could sneak into a city undetected by simply hiding inside an enormous fake _horse_ had been fascinating to him.

He wishes that thought had occurred to him about twenty minutes ago.

Dozens and dozens of soldiers, clocked in black with masks over their faces dart across the tarmac of the airport, having poured out of the belly of the monster. He wonders how the giant monster – the Trojan horse – could have held them all. Steve sees that each one of them has a semi automatic and many, many weapons strapped all over their bodies. About ten of them are aiming something that Steve cannot quite see at Vision, who is floating overhead and before he can even utter a yell, they fire their weapons.

Vision freezes in mid air, a wordless scream leaving his lips. Wanda is shouting, aiming blast after blast of energy at the men and getting a few of them to loosen the hold on whatever it is they are doing. Tony and Rhodey have finally flown in overhead and more blasts from the weapons of these men are fired at them, making them fly up and out of the way.

_“Steve.”_

Darcy. Oh god he wants to go home.

There’s a snapping sound from behind Steve and he pivots easily on his heel to see at least half a dozen men standing around him in a half circle.

 _“There’s more coming in on your eight o’clock,”_ Darcy says in his ear. _“Destroy them.”_

So he does.

He’s forced to kill two of them, knocking two more out. Darcy gasps, the sound echoing through his brain as he turns around to see the other soldiers having arrived.

And then...and then...

-;

Tony hears Darcy screaming on the comms.

“Friday, what the hell --?”

_“Captain Rogers is down in the field, boss.”_

“Son of a –“

Tony turns his head to the right to look at Rhodey’s armor. “Get Vision out of here.”

“You’re gonna go get him?” Rhodey asks.

“Get Vision out of here,” Tony repeats before powering the reactors in his hands and pushing off at a greater speed. The suit gives an unsatisfied whine around him. “Come on, come on, come _on...”_

_“Power at 75 percent, boss.”_

“Screw that! Get the jet overhead, Friday!”

_“Copy that.”_

He flies faster, Darcy’s sobbing filling his ears. “Darcy, you need to take a breath. _Darcy!”_

His sister’s gulping in air and his heart aches.

More soldiers are falling in the field, a small fire building strength around the ruins of the mechanism that had housed them. Natasha’s climbing up the back of one of the men in black like a freaking monkey, firing the gun he has in his hands to the right and four others at least ten yards away fall down like dominoes. Sharon flanks her, her blond hair falling out of the bun she had put it in, Sam circling overhead, watchful over the two women.

An arrow flies by the left side of Tony’s head and he looks up to see Clint standing on a nearby rooftop, blood streaming out of his ears.

He flies faster.

-;

There’s laughter. Sarah’s laughter.

She’s laughing at something, he’s not sure what. Maybe her mother made a bad joke that only she laughs at.

Oh he loves that laugh.

He vaguely remembers one morning where he was up before the sun rose, attempting to capture the colors of the sky as the sun started to break through. The blues and the greens were impossible to copy and he went through practically a gallon of paint, dumping all over his bare feet. He had blue feet for days and Darcy didn’t let him hear the end of it. He would get up early for the next week, attempting to find those colors again until he realized, those colors were in Darcy’s eyes.

Slashes of indigo and just a cusp of jade circle around him, pulling him down into the blackness that awaits.

Then there’s a voice.

_“You stupid punk.”_

Steve’s yanked right out of the comfort. The voice continues to thunder in his ears, calling him every name in the book and a few in what he perceives as Russian.

_“Goddamit, you were finally okay and you go charging back into battle, huh? Idiot.”_

Pain stretches through his whole body. The colors fade away almost as immediately as they came, gone is that gorgeous laughter. It’s all replaced by an ugly ache, deep – so deep in his bones and he opens his mouth to cry out and no sound leaves him.

Someone’s pulling on his leg, more pain sliding up the limb. Steve groans in agony, managing to slide open one eye.

Bucky Barnes is currently tying a tourniquet around his leg.

“Fuck I’m dead.”

Bucky smirks. “Nah, not yet. But if you keep this up, punk, you will be.”

Steve tries to lift his head and makes it about two centimeters before moaning. Blood seeps through his uniform and the fuzzy feeling is coming back. He blinks rapidly, trying to keep Bucky in focus. “You’re – you’re real?”

“More real than ever,” Bucky replies, not looking at him as he tightens the tourniquet around his upper arm. There’s a growl of an engine above and he looks up. “There’s your ride. See you soon, punk.”

“J-jerk.”

Steve blacks out.

-;

Tony’s sure he’s hallucinating when he sees Barnes kneeling beside Steve’s still form. He lifts up one hand, preparing to fire when Barnes leaps to his feet and gives him a tiny shake of the head.

That’s when Tony sees the dead soldiers. They’re scattered around the tarmac like crumpled handkerchiefs, blood spilling across the pavement. Barnes leaves a trail of sticky footprints as he nods towards Steve and Tony just watches as the man runs, disappearing over the side of the trail before rocketing down beside Steve.

“ _Was that...Barnes?”_

“Yeah Darcy, it was.”

The quinjet makes its appearance a moment later and Sam and a limping Clint walk down the ramp, the three of them easing a groaning Steve up. Steve’s hand slides around Sam’s wrist, giving a weak squeeze before going limp. They settle him down onto the emergency bench, Tony hitting a button on the console before letting his armor ease away.

“Friday, step on it.”

-;

_We got him. He’s alive._

Pepper gapes at her when Darcy explains what happened. The woman had gone away on a one night business trip to do some Avengers PC work that Tony had wiggled his way out of and this is what she came back too. Darcy doesn’t have time to feel sorry for the other woman as she asks her to watch Sarah and not tell her a thing.

“As far as she knows her dad’s stuck on a mission and will be back soon. Okay?”

Pepper nods. “Anything you need, Darcy.”

Darcy thanks her, rushing into the room that Dana had brought Sarah into to find her asleep on the tiny sofa in the corner. She gently shakes her daughter awake, pulling the still sleepy girl into her arms. “I have to go away for a couple of days, I need to go find Daddy.”

“Daddy’s missing?” Sarah repeats groggily.

“No, he’s not missing, just stuck on his mission and I need to go get him. We’ll be back soon, all right?”

Sarah nods, and Darcy can tell she doesn’t quite follow. “Tell him I love him?”

She blinks hard, tears finally starting to form. “I will, shorty.”

Darcy bolts then, practically running out of the room before she turns into a ball of hysterics. She wonders where Jane is. She half wonders what her own name is.

The quinjet is waiting as the elevator lets her loose on the roof. As she steps on, the ramp closes up behind her, enveloping her in darkness for just a few moments before a million little lights burst in front of her eyes.

“ _Please take your seat and buckle up,”_ Friday informs her.

Darcy does as she’s told, sinking into one of the seats by a tiny window, easing down into it and pulling the belt across her chest and lap. The plane takes off with ease within minutes, Friday chirping out the usual instructions on passenger planes.

“ _Estimated time of arrival, twenty nine minutes.”_

Only then does Darcy let her tears fall.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun DUN! 
> 
> Leave reviews in the box below if you’d like to find out what the heck happened next chapter. I am aware of a few certain little confusing plot points so just hang in there. 
> 
> Love you all!


	19. Sam

..

.

Tony’s the first person she sees when the electric doors to the surgical wing open. A shuddered gasp leaves her lips as her brother takes three big strides across the linoleum floor and pulls her into his arms. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he tells her, gently prying her fists from his shoulders. “A little banged up but relatively unscathed.”

Darcy blinks hard, biting her lip. “How is he? Is he --?”

“He’s alive and stable,” Tony says. “They still have him in surgery. The serum is what saved him.”

“I kind of figured that,” Darcy nods towards the gathered group down the hall. “Is everyone else okay?”

“Well...”

Darcy pounces. “What?”

“Clint. He was right on top of whatever that thing was when it blew. Rattled his whole head. They’re doing a bunch of tests on him now.”

Darcy gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “I don’t – I –“

Tony tugs on her arm. “C’mon.”

They walk further down the hallway and Sharon’s startled eyes are the first thing Darcy focuses on. To her surprise, the blond eases away from Sam and walks over to Darcy, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Are you all right?”

“I should be asking you the same thing.” Darcy takes a deep breath, looking around at the dirty and blood streaked faces. “Guys?”

A round of _“Fine,”_ hits her ears but Darcy doesn’t buy it for a moment.

She wasn’t going to get any information on Steve for a while and if she sat around waiting, she was going to lose what was left of her mind. So Darcy Lewis: Mom Mode kicks in and she starts pecking at the Avengers like a mother chicken. She forces granola bars at Wanda and Pietro and fetches coffee with Natasha. She ends up leaving Natasha in the ER when the woman winces _once_ on the way down to the cafeteria. Darcy knows that the Black Widow wincing means she actually has a serious injury and Clint’s not around at the moment to coax her into actually getting treatment.

The coffee is passed around and Tony’s on the phone with a shouting Pepper when she hands him a cup. “No, no, I don’t need it –“ he tries to push the cup away and Darcy suddenly hears Pepper’s voice on the other end of the receiver.

_“You DRINK that coffee, Anthony Edward Stark --!”_

Darcy grimaces, tiptoeing away.

Sharon’s curled against Sam, her head resting on his shoulder. Their fingers are linked together and Darcy has to turn away.

A livid Natasha turns up about an hour later and Darcy would running for her life if an exhausted doctor didn’t walk into the tiny waiting room. The woman stares for a solid five seconds at the mega amounts of muscle around her before giving herself a shake. “Uh, Clint Barton?”

Natasha walks forward, a mask on her face that is cool as ice. “Yes?”

“Uh – I’m Dr. Cooper. I’ve been treating Clint.”

“How is he?” Natasha asks.

“He has suffered a closed head injury due to the trauma and the force of the explosion. His eardrums have been punctured and he is currently experiencing deafness.”  

The tiniest of whimpers leaves Natasha’s mouth and if Darcy hadn’t been looking at the redhead she never would have believed that sound had come from her.

“I’ve already contacted an audiologist and an ENT physician. They should both be here within a few hours. For now Clint is still sedated to help him rest and get him through most of the pain but if you would like to see him -?”

“Yes I would,” Natasha answers immediately.

Dr. Cooper casts one more glance at the rest of them before flicking her fingers at Natasha. “Follow me.”

Natasha falls into step beside the doctor without looking back and Darcy cannot blame her for one instant.

Sinking into a chair at the far end of the room, she lets her eyes fall closed. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she yanks it out, seeing a text from Pepper telling her that Sarah is eating dinner and would like to talk to her after.

Me: _I will call her before bedtime._

Pepper: _How are you holding up?_

Darcy hesitates, her fingers hovering over the keys.

Me: _Been better._

There’s a reply but Darcy doesn’t get a chance to read it. A tall black man in scrubs appears in the room, not paying much attention to the people surrounding him. “Which one of you’s Darcy Lewis?”

Her heart thundering in her ears, Darcy clampers to her feet. “Yeah, uh that’s me?”

“Come with me.”

Darcy’s brain is creating horrible scenarios as she follows the doctor out of the room and into a long hallway. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted to give you an update on Rogers without all those people breathing down your neck.”

“Oh. _Oh.”_ Darcy breathes out a shaky laugh. “They’re not – they don’t do that but thank you.” She waits for a moment, staring at the doctor’s shoes. “How is he?”

“Out of surgery,” the doctor tells her. Darcy’s gaze flits to his id badge. _Dr. Malcolm Bennett, Chief of Surgery._ Well nobody but the best for Captain America. “And stable. He’s going to be fine thanks to that serum but he’s got some recovery ahead of him. The serum held off what would have killed any ordinary man but Captain Rogers is anything but ordinary.”

Darcy notices that the doctor is holding onto her elbow. Her knees are knocking together and she is going to hurdle right to the hard floor if he doesn’t keep holding her up. “ _Oh,_ uh, um okay - _”_

“He woke up briefly after the surgery was over, asked for you. I kind of figured -?” Bennett shrugs a shoulder and Darcy nods.

“Something like that,” she admits. She clears her throat. “Can I see him?”

The doctor nods. “For a few minutes. He may be enhanced but those bullets did a number on him. He needs plenty of rest over the next several days.”

“When will he be well enough to fly so we can go home?”

“Probably three or four days.”

When Darcy looks around, she realizes that the doctor had led her down that hallway and towards a pair of double doors. He guides her through them and Darcy sees they are in a recovery room. There are at least four other patients, all mumbling and groaning as the anesthesia started to wear off.

And then there was Steve in the far corner, looking like he had gone through a wood chipper.

“It took twice as much anesthetic to get him down,” Bennett explains. “So it will take some time for him to wake up. You can stay if you want, I’ll have a nurse come and get you in a little while.”

Darcy grabs the doctor’s hand before he can leave. “Th-thank you.”

He smiles, gently releasing her grip on him and leaving them alone. Darcy sinks onto the tiny stool beside Steve’s bed, raising her hands up only to notice that they are shaking so hard. Steve’s nose and mouth are covered by an oxygen mask, bruises blossoming across his forehead and right cheek. She could see the top of a bandage peeking out from underneath the collar of his hospital gown and knows there are several more just like it hidden under the itchy cotton.

She finally rests her hand on top of his, letting out a trembling breath. “Damn it, Steve.”

-;

She isn’t the praying type. Never has been, doesn’t think she ever will be. But, there is definitely something about hospitals that get people into a church and Darcy hates that.

She’s not alone though.

Darcy walks slowly, not sure if she should announce her presence. Sam’s back remains to her but she sees the muscles in his shoulders tighten.

With a sigh, she perches in the pew behind him and lets her head fall into her hands. Sam snorts softly and she looks up. “It’s tough following that guy into battle, isn’t it?”

Darcy makes a noise of agreement. “I don’t know what’s worse. Watching it all a million miles away or being right there and still not being able to do anything.”

“Neither,” Sam says quietly. “And both.” He lets out a long breath through his nose. “Sharon’s pregnant.”

Darcy’s head shoots up. She watches the back of Sam’s neck and he makes no move to turn to her. “I know.”

That does it. “What?”

“I mean, I thought so. When I was monitoring all of your vitals through Friday, there was a second heart rate picked up on Sharon. I didn’t have time to ponder it because –“

“Everything went to hell fast,” Sam slides back in the pew, turning up to gaze back at the altar in front of them. “We found out _minutes_ before we were called to assemble. There was no time to actually _think_ and then –“

“Where is she?” Darcy asks. “Is the baby okay?”

“When Steve was brought in she spoke to a doctor and they had her looked at.” There’s a flapping sound and Sam’s passing her a small sonogram photo. “The baby’s fine. Strong heart, strong –“

“ – everything,” Darcy finishes. She smiles at the peanut shape on the snowy photo, eyes cutting over the name on the corner. WILSON, SHARON. “Look at who the parents are.” She passes the photo back to Sam, who pockets it in the front of his suit.

“Sharon had a miscarriage about six years ago.” Sam licks his lips. “A little girl. We were going to call her Maggie.”

Darcy’s heart tears in her chest. “Oh _Sam.”_

“No, no, don’t.” She falls silent. “Sharon was told after that it was highly unlikely that she could have children naturally so we talked about adoption and maybe surrogacy but it was never really a definite plan and now –“

Darcy gets up from her seat and walks around the edge of the pew to sit beside him, grabbing his hand as she does. To her surprise, Sam doesn’t pull away.

“How do you do it?”

“What?”

Sam gestures at her with his other hand. “How do you do it?” “You and Rogers and Sarah – you make it seem so easy. And yet here we are in a hospital in New Jersey, waiting for Steve to wake up from surgery, waiting to see if Barton will hear again -”

Darcy licks her lips. “I don’t have a good reason for that, Sam.” She searches for a joke, anything to lighten the mood. Nothing comes. “Okay, that’s a lie. The reasoning is actually quite selfish,” she admits a moment later. “Because I didn’t want us to be apart, and I didn’t want to waste another minute.”

Sam looks away, staring at their joined hands. “I think that’s a good enough reason for me.”

“We hold onto every moment, we never go away without telling each other we love each other. Darcy leans closer, almost hesitantly before resting her head on his shoulder. “You and Sharon are two of the strongest people I know.”

“It’s funny,” Sam bites his lip. “When Shar told me about the baby...I didn’t feel very strong.”

Before Darcy can say anything else, the chapel doors open to reveal Wanda. “Guys, he’s waking up. Come on.”

-;

The doctor’s removing the oxygen mask when Darcy walks into the hospital room, replacing it with a nasal cannula, not having an easy time of as Steve is actually _wrestling_ with Sharon in an effort to sit up.

Why doesn’t that surprise Darcy in the slightest? Steve visibly relaxes when he sees her, his hands falling away from Sharon’s. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing!” Steve returns almost irritably. “I’m fine, I don’t need to be here!”

“Really?” Darcy asks, folding her arms in front of her chest. Sam snorts beside her. “Try standing up. _Without_ Sharon’s help.” She nods at the doctor, who had just opened his mouth to protest. “Hang on, doc, don’t worry.”

Steve gives her a dirty look but does stand, making her think of a newborn giraffe on roller skates. He holds onto the side of the bed with one hand, managing to give all of them what Darcy thinks is a triumphant smirk before his eyes cross and he falls back onto the bed with a groan. “All right, you win.”

Darcy dips her chin, grinning. “As I should.”

Sam holds out his hand for Sharon. “We’ll all clear out and let you two be alone.”

Sharon squeezes Darcy’s wrist, waving at Steve before following her husband out. The doctor says something that Darcy doesn’t pay much attention too, leaving a few minutes later.

She can’t take her eyes off of Steve’s face as she slowly walks over. Her knees feel like they are made of jello and her hands slide up and gently touch his chin. He mirrors her, fingers brushing against her cheekbones before they ease into each other’s arms.

“This feels nice,” Steve whispers, lips pressed to the skin of her throat. Darcy sighs, breathing him in and holding on. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven,” Darcy says, a small smile, quite forced, playing on her lips. “Don’t ever do it again.”

A few minutes later they lay together on the bed, curled around each other. Darcy’s fingers stroke the skin right above Steve’s heart, the gentle _thud thud_ reminding her of how alive he truly is.

“...Sarah’s okay.”

“Does she know about any of this?”

Darcy shakes her head, gently poking the nasal cannula back up where it was supposed to be. The serum had done its job and she was thanking Erskine several times over. She didn’t even know how she would – okay, she so wasn’t thinking about that right now.

“I told her you were stuck somewhere.” Steve raises a brow. “I know it sounds stupid but I couldn’t think of anything else. And I didn’t want to scare the bajoinkies out of her so –“

“No, no, I get it.” Steve yawns, wincing a bit. “I miss her.”

Darcy leans in, forehead bumping against his. Her fingers gently stroke his cheek, the five o’clock stumble prickling her skin as he falls back asleep, alive and whole and in her arms.  

-;

_“Hi Mommy.”_

Darcy smiles at the screen. Sarah’s voice is like music to her ears. She will never get tired of hearing it. “Hi baby girl. How are you?”

_“Fine.”_

“Did aunt Pepper take you to school today?”

_“Unfortunedly.”_

“Unfortunately?” Darcy repeats. “What’s up with that mentality, young lady?”

Sarah’s silent on the other end for so long Darcy wonders if she hung up. _“Where are you?”_

Darcy bites her lip, hesitating. “In New Jersey. I found Daddy.”

Sarah’s voice brightens. “ _You did?”_

“Mmhmm. He’s sleeping right now but if you want me to wake him up –“

 _“No, don’t. That’s okay.”_ Sarah’s voice shudders. “ _He got hurt, didn’t he?”_

Darcy’s heart stutters to a stop for just one moment. She swallows in a gulp of evening air, eyes darting around the hospital parking lot. She had ducked out here a little while ago, eager to avoid the many questions from the team and for Steve to get some rest.

She still didn’t understand what those men had been using in their strange-ass weapons. No one was talking about it in the hospital waiting room, no one seemed to _want_ to talk about it. Darcy didn’t like that, the not talking. It bothered her.

“Yeah, shorty, he did.” Sarah gets quiet. Too quiet. “Sarah?”

Her daughter makes a small sound on the other end. “ _Is he okay?”_

Darcy nods. “He will be very soon. He got hurt on the mission and it was pretty bad but he had wonderful doctors that fixed him up.”

 _“He’s gonna be okay?”_ Sarah asks.

“He’s going to be okay.”

Sarah sighs noisily, another small sound greeting Darcy’s ears and making her want to tear her own heart out. “ _Tell him I love him?”_

“Oh baby –“

 _“Bye. I have to go to bed now.”_ The line goes dead. 

Darcy’s hand is shaking as she lowers the phone from her ear, replacing it in her pocket. Someone clears their throat behind her and when she looks around, Tony is standing there. “How much of that did you hear?”

“Enough.” Tony walks over, gently taking her hand in his. “Darcy, you don’t have to do this right now.”

“I _do,”_ she mutters, vision blurring with warm tears. “It’s what I’ve always done. I take care of people. I don’t let them –“

“How about you let someone take care of you?” Tony asks.

Darcy lets out a tiny sob. “What kind of a mother am I? I _never_ lie to my kid and yet, I’ve been lying my ass off for the past two days and I left her all alone!”

“She’s not alone, she’s with Pepper. It’s not like you left her at the library, Darce, sheesh.”

“But _still –“_

 _“_ No, no, no, come here.” Tony grabs her shoulders and pulls her against his chest. Darcy struggles in vain for a moment, her hand sliding down Tony’s chest. As Tony’s arms tighten around her, the sobs finally come, hard and wracking her whole body. Tony whispers nonsense against her hair. “Just let it go, that’s it. Let it go.”

Darcy isn’t sure how long she bawls all over her brother. He doesn’t make any noises of dissent when she practically wipes her nose on his shoulder, her throat aching from all the crying.

She hadn’t cried this hard since her dad died.

“I got your shirt all wet.”

Tony lifts his mouth in what Darcy hopes is a smile. “No matter. Pepper buys me these in gross.”

Darcy laughs, wiping at her wet cheeks with her sleeve. “Thank you.”

He leans down, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Listen to me, kid. You may annoy the hell out of me sometime, especially when you attempt to bedazzle my suit –“ Darcy blushed. “ _—but_ you and that rugrat back home have brought a hell of a lot of good stuff into my life. Whatever you need, just ask. I’m here.”

Darcy sighs, resting her head back on his shoulder. “Love you too, brother.”

-;

The room is silent except for the occasional beeps of the machines and a deep breath from the sleeping man beside her.

Darcy counts the last crack in the ceiling, the toe of her boot twitching as she stretches, taking great ease to avoid accidentally rousing Steve. Steve was healing steadily and the doctor seemed to think he could be released within the next few days. Darcy was anxious to get home, she longed for it.

Tony and Bruce had gotten everyone else out of there and back home. Clint had only been awake once, but his doctors almost immediately sedated him again, the pain in his head and ears having been so extreme. Natasha had vehemently refused to leave his side, glaring daggers when Bruce had meekly suggested she go home to get some rest.

There’s a light knock on the door and Tony pokes his head around. “Hey, what are you --?”

Tony shushes her, crooking his fingers for her to follow. She eases her legs off of the bed and glances at Steve, who still sleeps, before following Tony from the room.

Coulson’s standing there. Wait a minute – _Coulson –_

“Agent Ipod Stealer.”

The older man lets out a weary sound. “You’re _still_ angry about that, Ms. Lewis?”

“I will take that anger to my grave, buddy,” Darcy returns. “And of course, there is that little thing about Jane’s research.”

Coulson scowled. “You got everything back --!”

“Hey!” Tony interrupted. “There’s no time for that. Phil, Barton’s room is one floor up.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.” Coulson says. He turns to go, his mouth lifting in a smile when he looks at something Darcy cannot see. “By the way, Ms. Lewis. You and the captain have a remarkable child.”

“Wha --?”

“Hi Mommy.”

Darcy squeals, ignoring the pain in her knees as she falls to the floor with Sarah in her arms. Sarah giggles, hugging her back and gently patting her shoulders with her tiny hands. “Mommy, no kisses!”

“Tough!” Darcy smacks about five more kisses all over Sarah’s face, beaming up at her brother. “Thank you.”

“I called her school, they said it was all right I pulled her out for a couple of days. You guys need to be together.”

Oh yeah, she’s _so_ gonna cry again.

“Thanks uncle Tony.”

Darcy looks back at Sarah. “Are you still upset?”

Sarah shakes her head. “Uncle Tony explained everything on the ride here.”

Darcy fixes her brother with what she hoped was an intimidating look but Tony didn’t give. “He did, did he?”

“Yeah,” Sarah shrugged. “He said that you were just trying to keep me safe and have me not worry about Daddy.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I will _never_ do that again.”

Sarah smiles, an air of mischief in her delicate features. “Maybe I can use that when I get older?”

Tony snorts. “She’s a Stark all right.”

“Can I see Daddy?”

Tony waves them away. “I’m gonna head back.”

“Thank you again.”

Darcy watches Tony walk down the long hallway, letting the high beam lights swallow him up before Sarah yanks on her hand and they walk together into the hospital room. Steve’s just waking up, hand reaching out into the space that she had occupied. Darcy picks Sarah up underneath the arms, whispering “Be careful of his shoulder _,”_ in her ear before setting her down on the bed.

Steve blinks a few times, eyes bleary as they try to focus on the smiling face. “Sarah?” Sarah laughs as he pulls her into his arms. “I’ve missed you so much.” He meets Darcy’s eyes over the top of their daughter’s head and he reaches his hand out, Darcy quickly taking it in both of her own.

-;

“Foster!”

Rhodey hadn’t been able to find hide nor hair of the young doctor for hours. Radio silence had come from her direction since before the mission from hell and understandably, Darcy had been too distracted to even think much about her friend.

“Friday, any sign of Jane?”

_“She had put the privacy covers on the lab seventy one hours ago, barricading herself in.”_

Rhodey swore under his breath, practically leaping off of the elevator when Friday brought him to the labs’ floor. He ran down the hallway, skidding to a stop when he saw Bruce standing outside the doors, furiously punching numbers into the security box mounted on the wall. “I tried calling her while we were still at the hospital,” Bruce explains. “She had been working when we got called out, I didn’t even _think...”_

The doors open.

_“Privacy covers lifted.”_

The two men quickly walk over the threshold and look around. There’s no sign of Jane anywhere and the lab is an absolute wreck. Holograms float all over the wall, showing what Rhodey can only decipher as nonsense. Bruce skids to a stop as they round one of the work tables, eyes wide as he takes in some of the formulas that Jane had put up on the screen. “Holy shit...”

Rhodey’s eyes widen. “ _Bruce.”_

Jane looks like she had just dropped where she stood. She’s crumbled in a heap behind the last work table, arms splayed out like she was about to take flight before falling from the sky. Rhodey ducks down beside her, breathing out a sigh of relief when he sees the rise and fall of her chest. Bruce gently feels her pulse, nodding at Rhodey. “A little thready. Let’s get her to the medical wing.”

She feels like she weighs no more than a feather to Rhodey as he eases her up into his arms. Bruce commands Friday to let the med bay know they were on their way as they walk from the lab. Rhodey cradles Jane close, her hand suddenly coming up to grab his shirt as her lips move wordlessly. And then -  

_“I figured it out. I did it.”_

.

.

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was my nemesis! Lol. 
> 
> So yes, I know there are still some plotholes and unanswered questions. Where the hell was Jane through all of this? What was Steve shot with that went through his armor? What the frickety frack is going on??? I also felt like it was appropriate that Darcy DID NOT think about Jane thru all of this, focusing on Steve and Sarah. 
> 
> I wanted to take these characters out and put them in a real life setting. To put them where they seem a bit more real, and not just superheroes and such. Tony being there for Darcy, being her brother and support system. Darcy keeping her shit together and giving advice to the parents to be, until she talks to her daughter and then all the guilt and fear comes barreling out. I also always knew I was going to make Clint deaf in this too. They aren’t just superheroes, they are these beautiful broken people that are trying so hard. 
> 
> Okay sorry for the meta. Leave reviews if you want the next chapter!


	20. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the beautiful Bekah. :)

.

“No, I have to get out of here, I need to go back downstairs!”

Rhodey gently grabs Jane’s hand as she tries to pull the leads off of her skin. “Jane, you’ve been awake for over sixty hours. You need to relax for a while.”

“No, no I’ve figured it out! How to save us all!”

Bruce stares at Rhodey over the top of Jane’s head. “Jane, what are you talking about?”

“The stones!” Jane burst out angrily, not seeing Helen come around her back with a syringe. “I figured out how to – _ouch.”_ She glared at the spot where Helen had stuck her. “ – a little warning, okay?”

“Jane, please –“

“ _No,”_ Jane yanked on another cord that was stuck to her arm. “I can explain everything. I c-can sh-show you –“

“There it goes,” Helen says. Jane’s eyes begin to flutter shut. “The sedative will last four hours. Good night, sweet princess.” The doctor easily catches Jane as she slumps backward, carefully lowering her down onto the pillows. “Let her rest. Whatever she has to say can wait.”

Jane lasts an hour in sedation.

“You...sedated...me.”

“In my defense, _Helen_ sedated you,” Bruce replies. “Jane, you’re going to hurt yourself if you keep this up.”

“Says the guy who happily tossed himself into a radioactive gamma ray chamber,” Jane snaps back. She holds out her hand and Rhodey takes it, helping her ease up into a sitting position on the bed. “Now if you two will just _shut up_ and let me explain. Sheesh, you couldn’t even be bothered to show up in the last three days.”

“Jane,” She turns wild eyes to glare at Rhodey. “We got called to assemble. On _Tuesday._ Today’s Saturday. We just got back a couple of hours ago.”

“Assemble?” Jane repeats. She curses under her breath. “What was it?”

“Portal opened in New Jersey. Some big mechanical thing came through and we thought it was a monster from another world. And maybe it was,” Bruce replies. “But it had things inside of it.”

“Things? What sort of things?”

“They looked like ordinary humans with high powered weapons. They were...they were trying to get Vision. And Steve got hit.” Jane’s eyes widen in fear. “He’s all right, he’s still in the hospital in New Jersey. Darcy and Sarah are with him.”

Jane breathes out a sigh of relief but lifts her chin, focusing a stare at the both of them. “They were trying to take Vision?” Rhodey nods. “I was right.”

“What?”

“I swear to Thor, if you two don’t take me back to the lab right this very minute –“

“All right, all right. But –“ Rhodey stops Jane when she attempts to stand. “You are _not_ walking down there.”

To Jane’s (and Bruce’s) surprise, Rhodey leans down and sweeps Jane right off her feet. Literally.

“Colonel Rhodes --!”

“Do you want to fall on your face?” Rhodey asks. “Come on, it’s the least –“

“All right, stop staring googly-eyed at each other,” Bruce interrupts.

Scarlet tinges Jane’s cheeks and Rhodey clears his throat a little louder than he normally would. “Right, uh, let’s go.”

-;

Darcy pokes her head around the corner to where the common room lays, surprised to see no one there. After the last four days, she would have guessed everyone else would be taking a long well deserved break but there wasn’t anyone to be seen.

“Friday, was there a call to assemble?” Steve asks, gaze flitted towards the ceiling.

“ _No, captain. The Avengers and Dr. Foster are currently in the labs.”_

Darcy stares at Steve. “Jane.”

“You go find out what’s going on, I’ll get Sarah settled.”

She nods, reaching to gently peck his mouth before taking the elevators back down. The ride back from the hospital had been quick and Sarah had been so tired that she slept the whole way. The little girl was practically asleep on her feet, having not let go of Steve’s hand since they had been allowed to leave the hospital.

Friday lets her off at the labs and Darcy walks down the short hallway to the electric double doors. To her surprise, they are open.

Jane’s standing at the head work table, pointing to various holograms that bounce on the walls, speaking some science! speak that Darcy cannot follow at the moment. The woman looks dead on her feet and Darcy wonders how long she had been awake. Shame climbs in the pit of her stomach at the sight of her exhausted friend. Shame at the fact that she hadn’t been here to do her job but –

Darcy scoots in without being noticed, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe with her arms folded. Jane’s talking about the time in London.

Seems so long ago.

“When I had the Aether inside of me, the power –“ Jane stops for a moment, closing her eyes. “ – the power was the most dangerous part. Not just to others but to myself. I knew that it could eat me up and discard me like an old sock.”

Vision makes a noise of agreement and Darcy notices that he’s hovering just a few inches off the ground.  

“That power wanted to cancel itself out.”

“So you’re saying...” Tony begins slowly. “Use the stones to destroy the other stones.”

A statement, not a question.

Darcy feels her heart begin to pound in her chest.

“Yes,” Jane answers simply. “The biggest danger to those stupid stones are themselves. They have that power. And we keep going until there is only one stone left.”

“And then what happens?” Pietro asks.

Jane lifts a hand. “That is where I am stumped.”

“We’ll figure that out when we get there,” Tony stands up. “I say this is a good start. It puts us miles ahead of where we were four days ago. Foster, you do need to see this though. Friday, can you pull up the satellite footage from Newark?”

_“Certainly.”_

Darcy looks away as the sounds of that horrid day fill her ears. The monster, the Trojan horse, as Steve had called it while in the hospital, thunders and storms across the tarmac of the airport lot before exploding and the dozens of men in black pour out.

Jane flinches when Steve is shot, almost turning her back to the screen but immediately looking back when she hears Barnes’ voice. “Why was...?”

“That is something I’d like to know,” Sam’s sitting next to Sharon, his arm around her shoulders. Sharon’s hand rests on her nonexistent bump, seemingly lost in thought and not hearing what her husband just said. “What was he doing there? After everything that Rogers did so he could get out of those fuckers’ hands, he’s back in them?”

“It seemed that he was in perfect control,” Tony supplies. “He was the only one still standing when I got there and he was trying to help Rogers.”

“Maybe he willingly went back in?” Pietro suggests, a shadow crossing his face. “I cannot see why though...”

“The only way he would willingly go back in,” Wanda looks thoughtful. “Is if something removed the damage from his mind.”

“Can that be done? I mean, who could actually do that?”

Wanda shrugs. “One thing that we can be sure of is...” she bites her lip in hesitation. “We need Barnes.”

Sam furiously opens his mouth. “ _No._ Jesus, Rogers and I looked for that guy for two years. We can’t have him here, especially _now,”_ he gestures to Sharon and then flicks a thumb over his shoulder at Darcy.

“Sam’s right,” Sharon stands up slowly. “We don’t know how together Barnes is, he could still be violent.”

“Would he have done all of _that_ if he was?” Pietro asks.

“He doesn’t have to be brought here,” Darcy interrupts. “What about your facility upstate, Tony? That’s contained and comfortable, it wouldn’t feel like a prison to him.”

Tony nods. “That sounds plausible.”

“And then what?” Vision asks.

“See if he can help,” Jane rests her hands on the desk, tired eyes gazing around at the lot of them. “If he does then maybe –“ she looks to Tony. “Maybe you can get him a pardon.”

Rhodey burst out laughing. “ _What?”_

“It’s not that far of a reach!” Jane defends. “What else would get the Winter Soldier to help us?”

“He is our only link to getting this ‘destroy the stones’ thing started.”

“I’ll do it.”

All eyes on Tony. It looks like it even takes him a moment to realize he had said the words. _“What?”_

“Did you seriously just agree to help the Winter Soldier?” Rhodey asks.

“Yes he did.” Darcy jumps, having not heard Pepper’s heels on the linoleum as the woman is now standing to her right. “That’s enough of this. Fight about it later. Dr. Foster needs rest and so do the rest of you.”

A chorus of groans lift up from the room and Darcy hides a smile. “Team Mom huh?”

Pepper smiles. “I need those two anyway,” she points to Sam and Tony. “Sam’s gonna step in for Steve to do some damage control about Newark.”

The team files out of the lab, a whining Jane directed right at Darcy by Rhodey. She smiles a _thank you_ to the older man over Jane’s shoulder and just holds on tight to her friend.

“Are you all right?”

Jane’s arms loop around her waist, face buried in her chest. “Don’t fall asleep yet, those are not pillows,” Darcy chuckles, turning to guide her out of the chilly lab.

“But they’re _squishy_ and _comfy,”_ Jane whines.

Darcy’s arms tighten around her. “Someone’s sleep drunk. Come on, let’s go.”

The ride up is quiet with Jane’s soft mumbles being the only noise that Darcy can really focus on. They stumble down the hall together, Jane’s feet dragging. Friday helpfully opens the apartment door for her and Darcy just manages to get them over the threshold before she drops her. “Shit!”

Jane groans, rubbing her head with a hand. “Well that woke me up.”

“Sorry, Jane.”

Jane takes the hand she offers and gets to her feet. “’s okay.” She blinks a few times, raising a brow. “I’m seeing three of you right now. I must be tired.”

“Go to bed, Jane,” Darcy turns her and pushes her towards the bedrooms. “You’ve earned a week long nap.”

“Wake me up in six hours, okay?” Jane nearly stumbles twice, Darcy wincing as she waits for the impact that never comes.

“I’ll get right on that.” She won’t. Once Jane is gone and safely in her room, Darcy looks up to the ceiling. “Friday, can you make sure Jane is not awoken unless it’s an absolute emergency? Let her think it’s still night outside or something, she needs to sleep as long as can.”

_“Certainly, Ms. Lewis.”_

Darcy groans, looking around at the messy apartment. The place was an honest wreck to Darcy’s surprise since she didn’t think Jane had stepped foot in here in the last week. She wanders around, pulling stuff off of the floor and placing it on the counters before giving up and walking back out and heading upstairs.

Steve is on the sofa, a conked out Sarah in his lap as the muted television plays Peter Pan. “I cannot believe you’re awake.”

Steve blearily looks her up and down. “I could say the same for you. How’s Jane?”

Darcy sinks onto the sofa beside them. “Finally asleep. I swear, Sarah was easier to put down when she had colic.” She bites her lip. “Do you want to know what happened?”

“What Jane figured out?” Steve asks and Darcy nods. “I can’t believe I am going to say this but not really? At least not until tomorrow.”

“That’s fair,” Darcy says. She looks at her watch and sighs. “It _is_ tomorrow.”

“Later then.”

Darcy smiles and Steve lifts his arm. She kicks off her boots and tucks her feet underneath her before leaning lightly against his side. “Tell me about him.”

Steve sucks in a breath and Darcy prepares to quickly bullshit her way out of it but then, he starts talking. There’s no grief in his voice, only melancholy and maybe a little bit of familiarity. She talks about Jane like that sometimes.

“...and one time he dragged me onto the rollercoaster at Coney Island and made sure that I had eaten a full lunch before that. _I_ made sure to puke all over his shoes...”

-;

His brother looks more tired than usual.

“Damn, when was the last time you slept?”

Barney flips him the bird. “You try doing the shit that I do around here in the middle of fucking nowhere.”

Clint snorts and it frightens him that he cannot hear the sound.

Natasha had brought in one of the Stark laptops that had closed captioning, so when he video-called Barney, he could read everything his brother said. The roaring in his head had finally began to subside but he couldn’t hear a thing.

The silence bothered him more than anything else. He’d take the buzzing or the shrieking over this so he could hear something, _anything._

“I saw the news,” Barney says. Clint manages to follow the words on Barney’s lips. “And Nat called me.” He gestures to his own ears. “Any pain still?”

Clint shakes his head, changing it into a nod a moment later. “Quite a bit. The docs had to knock me down because it hurt so bad.” He winces at his own words, fingers reaching up to touch his mouth. “Sorry.”

Barney waves it away. “Don’t be.” He’s silent for a moment, or at least Clint thinks he is. “How are _you?”_

“Huh?”

To Clint’s surprise, Barney fingerspells it. “H-O-W A-R-E Y-O-U?”

Clint really isn’t sure if he should laugh or cry because _fuck_ this is his life now.

He’d seen the look on Natasha’s face when she talked to the doctor. This wasn’t....his hearing was never coming back and he knew it.

But goddamnit, he was allowed to be fucking terrified.

“Jesus Clint, of course you’re allowed to be scared.”

 _Fuck,_ he hadn’t realized he said that.

Barney taps on the screen. “Hey, look at me.” At the sign of the black bar at the bottom of the screen, Clint lifts his eyes. “You’re allowed to be fucking scared. You’ve got a long shitty road ahead of you. _But_ you have to remember something.”

“What’s that?”

“Your name is Hawk _eye,_ not Hawk _ear.”_

For the first time in ages, Clint begins to laugh. A smile plays on Barney’s lips.

“You’re going to be fine, brother. You’re allowed to bitch and whine and mourn for what you have lost but remember you’ve still got a hell of a lot, okay?”

Clint nods. “Yeah. Thanks, Barn.”

“You’re welcome. _Now,”_ Barney rubs his hands together. “Is Natasha still around?”

“ _Hey,_ get your own girlfriend.”

Barney throws his head back and laughs. “I can’t help it. I’m amazed that an ugly git like you managed to land a fox like her. Oh! Guess who I ran into a few days ago?” Before waiting for Clint to respond, he plows on. “Kate _fucking_ Bishop.”

“Oh really?”

“Hang on, let me get what she gave me to show you. You’re gonna love this shit. Or hate it. Who knows?”

Clint waits as Barney rolls his wheelchair backwards and moves off screen, still saying something that Clint cannot hear or read, the closed captioning having disappeared. He returns a moment later with what Clint sees is an enormous stuffed bear wrapped in purple from head to toe with a fake little bow and arrow sewn to its hand. “What the hell is that?”

Barney barks a laugh. “Avengers merchandise getting a little lazy, eh? Kate got a big kick out of this and gave it to me to send to you. That is, if you want it.”

Clint shrugs. “Sure.”

“Great, I just gotta find your address...” Clint settles back onto the pillows, not realizing at the moment that the pain in his head is at last, _gone._

-;

Life is due to erupt at any moment so the precious bits in between, Steve grabs onto those and doesn’t let them go.

Sarah suggests the two of them disappear on a father-daughter date and he happily agrees. “Give Mommy time to chase aunt Jane and Bruce and uncle Tony around without worrying about us?”

Sam had told him everything. And he hated every word.

Finding Bucky should have been high on his list but for some reason, Steve wasn’t too anxious to reopen that door. Finding out _why_ his old friend had been with Hydra again after _everything_ that had happened...Steve was not sure he wanted to know the reasoning behind it.

Before he was shot, before he woke up in a haze with Bucky kneeling over him and calling him ‘ _punk’,_ Steve was perfectly happy...not knowing. If that made him an asshole, then so be it. He was an asshole.

But now, as he looked at Sarah across the table, he knew he couldn’t do that.

He needed his child. He needed the woman he loved.

But they needed a world to live in.

So he would leave in a week after he got the sign off from Helen. Darcy had offered to do some looking for Bucky and he agreed and just this morning, she had plopped down a large folder on the kitchen table.

“He’s in Budapest.”

“How’d he get there so fast?”

Darcy shrugs. “Search me. He’s your friend, not mine.”

“Darce, I’m –“

She quickly waves away his words, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Don’t worry about it.”

Sarah’s saying something, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Can we start with dessert first?”

Steve chuckles, nodding. “Absolutely. What did you have in mind?”

The waiter comes over to take their orders. Sarah asks for a slice of strawberry cheesecake while he takes coffee and vanilla chai mousse. “Something I’ve always wanted to try,” he explains when Sarah raises a brow.

They’re quiet for a while, listening to the soft music playing from a large stereo system on the far wall of the restaurant. Sarah hums along, tapping her toes on the floor underneath the table. Steve hesitates, searching for the right words to explain to his child that he has to go away again when she says it for him.

“I heard you and uncle Sam talking.”

 _Damn._ Damn it, damn it, _damn it._

“Yeah?”

Sarah nods. “How long will you be gone?”

Steve licks his dry lips. “Hopefully only two weeks.”

“Who’s going with you?”

“Sam and Nat. Sharon and Clint will be stay behind.”

Sarah heaves a breath and it rattles Steve right to his bones. “What if...what if you get hurt again?”

“Sarah...”

His daughter shakes her head. “Sorry. _Sorry._ I’m just –“

“Scared?” Steve finishes for her.

“ _Yeah.”_

“Baby, not getting hurt is something I cannot promise.”

“I know. But it’s still scary.”

“It sure is,” Steve agrees. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I. Neither does Mommy. She was really scared. So scared that she didn’t want to scare me.”

“You knew about that, huh?” Steve asks.

“I’m almost _seven,_ Dad. Come on.” He can almost hear the _duh_ that she holds back. “Dad?”

“Hmm?”

He watches as she digs into the pocket of her jacket and to his surprise, pulls out a long gold chain and sets it on the table. The locket is just as he remembers it, a plain golden circle that holds the only picture of the first Sarah Rogers.

Steve bites down hard on the inside of his cheek, gaze flickering up to his daughter’s. “Where did you find this?”

“Mom asked me to get her fuzzy socks out of your dresser. I found it in the back of the drawer,” Sarah explains. She looks up at him through her lashes. “Do you want to give it to me now?”

“Only if you want me too,” Steve says softly.

Sarah nods and passes him the necklace before getting up from her chair and turning around, lifting her hair up with one hand. Steve gently loops the chain around her neck and does the clasp, popping a kiss to the back of her head. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome.”

She reclaims her seat just as the waiter arrives with their food, a smile spreading across her lips at the sight of the enormous slice of cheesecake. “ _Whoa.”_

Steve laughs, feeling lighter than he had in ages.

Yeah, they’ll be okay.

He hoped.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhhhh! So much happened in not that many words. We got to see Barney, who we will be seeing again very, very soon. Kate will be showing up soon and yes, I am basing all three characters loosely after Matt Fraction’s comics. Bucky’s on the way back, what exactly is this little thing between Rhodey and Jane? 
> 
> By the way, the ‘only us’ verse is turning into a series! Once this fic is finished, we will be taking visits into the lives of other couples featured here as well as some outtakes and deleted scenes from our beloved Shieldshock so keep an eyeball out for that. 
> 
> Leave reviews if you want the next chapter! It’s gonna be a big one.


	21. Star

 

.

.

Steve, Sam, and Natasha leave on Friday.

One month later, they disappear from the grid. Darcy cannot find them anywhere, no matter what satellite images she pulls up, no matter what coordinates she searches.

Two months later, the comms go dark.

Three months later, there’s no word. Nothing at all.

Darcy stops sleeping on a Tuesday.

She starts taking to the communal kitchen when the rest of the tower sleeps. She’d learned to work on four hours of sleep a night (if she was lucky) when she was chasing Jane around New Mexico and then London, having to bring that back for the first three months of Sarah’s life. When she was diagnosed with asthma, Darcy would lay awake listening to her wheeze and ready to spring just in case the worst happened.

For five days, she’s alone in that kitchen, drinking endless amounts of highly caffeinated tea. Darcy doubts she’s ever going to be able to sleep again with the way she is going.

On a Thursday, Sharon joins her.

“Can’t do it, huh?”

Darcy swallows the large gulp of tea she had taken and nods. “Tea?”

“Water still hot?” Sharon asks, gesturing towards the kettle on the stove.

“Just took it off.” Sharon prepares herself a mug of decaf tea, settling down on the stool across from Darcy. Her hand rests on her swollen stomach, wincing now and then as she drinks. “How are you feeling?”

To Darcy’s dismay, the blonde’s eyes fill with tears. “The baby started kicking last night.”

Darcy gasps. “Oh _Sharon...”_

“And the thing, I cannot even distract myself with work because I am stuck behind a desk now. All I want to do is beat the shit out of some asshole and I cannot do it!”

Darcy bites back a grin. “I wish I could help you there.”

Sharon chews on her bottom lip thoughtfully, blinking back the stray tears that are still in her eyes. “When Sarah first started moving around, how did you feel?”

“How did I feel?” Darcy repeats and Sharon nods. “To tell you the truth, I was a mix of happy because heck yeah, my kid was gonna be an ass-kicker. And then I was freaking terrified because ‘holy shit there’s a baby in there’.”

Sharon laughs softly. “Didn’t sink in until then?”

Darcy shakes her head. “Nope. Since being told I was pregnant two weeks after throwing my guts up and believing I had a terrible stomach bug, nothing really hit me until I felt Shorty move for the first time. I was still...stuck, you know?”

Sharon nods knowingly. “Yeah, I know.” When the blonde starts to cry, Darcy isn’t really surprised. She calmly gets up from her seat and walks around the island to sit beside her, gently pulling Sharon into her arms. “What if he’s dead, Darce?” Sharon sobs. “What if they’re dead and we’ll never know?”

Darcy wants to feed her friend a bullshit line to make her feel better but she finds that she cannot form any of the words. She has had the same horrible thoughts go through her mind when Steve’s voice disappeared from her ears that terrible morning when she lost the comms and couldn’t get them back.

What if they were dead?

The what if was the hardest thing to ever come to terms with.

But one thing keeps settling in Darcy’s mind, and it brings her comfort.

She’d feel it.

They all would.

She’d wake up in the morning to that emptiness, that deep _ache_ in her chest that would tell her that Steve was never coming home.

But that feeling, it wasn’t there. There was nothing in the world that was telling her that.

Darcy gently held Sharon’s elbows, making the blonde look at her. “Okay, so I can give you a crock of bull or I can tell you the truth. Which would you like?”

Sharon sighs. “You know the answer to that.”

“There is a chance that they’re...” Darcy cannot say the word so she skips over it, waving a hand to emphasis the unspoken phrase. “But I don’t believe it for a second. We’d know, ya know?” Sharon nods. “So we’re going to stop this. We’re going to stop mourning and grieving because there is nothing to mourn and grieve for. There’s asskicking that we need to get ready for.” Sharon laughs wetly and Darcy smiles. “Tomorrow, as long as none of ya’ll are called to assemble, you and I are going to go baby shopping. Understood, agent Carter?”

Sharon mock salutes her. “Yes ma’am.” Darcy pulls away and goes to put on the kettle for another cup of tea. “Darcy? Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

-;

Clint joins them on a Monday.

He’s not wearing the purple hearing aids that Tony had gotten for him. “They hurt,” Clint had explained when Wanda questioned him about it before assembling for a low level threat in Brooklyn. “I’ll wear them when we’re working but not at home.”

So he didn’t. Clint had picked up ASL like it was the easiest thing in the world. Darcy still struggled with finger spelling but Clint assured her that if she looked at him while she talked he could read her lips.

Darcy’s got coffee already brewing when the tired archer wanders in. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Sharon holds up her mug in a toast and Clint grunts, waving one hand as he pours himself a cup. “How long have you two birds been clucking?”

“Birds?!”

“Clucking?!”

Clint points to his ears and Darcy rolls her eyes. “About two weeks.” She gestures to the stool at the end of the island and he sits on the edge, taking the rest of the coffee black without even blinking at the horrible taste.

“When was the last time you slept?” Sharon asks.

“When did they leave?” Clint responds and that’s the end of that conversation.

It becomes a pattern for the three of them. A routine that is almost immediately a new normal. Some people would call it a brand new friendship. Darcy calls it a very small gang of misfits that are incredibly lonely. 

On a Wednesday night, Sharon places a small sonogram photo on the table as Clint brews coffee and decaf tea on the stove.

“It’s a boy.”

Darcy looks up from her toast, eyes resting on Sharon’s face. “Is this good news or bad?”

Clint turns around to see the photo, glancing at Sharon too, awaiting her reaction. “It is wonderful news.” Sharon takes in a long breath. “But it doesn’t feel right, you know?”

“To celebrate this alone?” Darcy asks. Sharon nods tearfully and Darcy shakes her head. “Shar, you’re not alone.”

“You’re not,” Clint agrees with a small smile.

“Have you thought of any names?” Darcy asks.

The question takes Sharon by surprise and she blinks, gazing thoughtfully at a small stain on the island countertop. “Actually, no. The thought’s never crossed my mind. I think I’m going to wait until Sam gets back. And _if..._ well then I am going to wait until he’s born and get to know him a little bit before I choose a name.”

Darcy winces at the ‘if’. She hates that word with everything she has.

“Sounds like a plan.”

-;

“Why can’t uncle Tony and Mr. Fury just go and get Daddy and uncle Sam?”

Darcy brushes her fingers through Sarah’s curls, smiling sadly. “Because there is no way to find them. They’ve disappeared off the grid.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means...it means if _I_ can’t find them,” Darcy starts slowly, the words tasting like acid on her tongue. “...your uncle or the Eye Patch of Glory cannot find them either.”

“So not even...Wanda? Doesn’t she have special powers?”

“It’s the not the same thing, Sarah,” Darcy tries to explain. “Wanda doesn’t have that kind of power.”

Sarah huffed in disappointment, folding her arms in front of her chest. Darcy looks up to see they’ve come to a stop in front of her school. “I miss him so much, Mom.”

Darcy blinks hard, kneeling down so she and her daughter are eye level. “I do too, shorty.”

“What if --?”

“Sarah Jane, don’t start the ‘what if’, okay? Because we do not know those words. Your dad is coming home and soon. And if he doesn’t, I swear –“ Her whole body is telling her to shut the fuck up but the words are falling right off of Darcy’s tongue. “ –I will find his stupid butt myself and bring him home.”

Sarah grins weakly but even she knows her mother is full of bullshit. “I love you, Mom.”

Darcy hugs her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I love you too.”

-;

The little girl waits until her mother had left her bedroom, lightly shutting the door behind her. Easing her hands up from underneath the covers, Sarah presses them together and looks up to the ceiling where all the glow in the dark stars that her dad had painted shine back and she swears that one of them _winks_ at her.

“Um...I don’t do this except on holidays,” Sarah feels incredibly stupid after saying that but plows on. “If there is anyone listening, maybe Thor? Can you please bring my dad and Sam and Natasha home? We really miss them. _I_ miss them. Sharon’s belly is getting bigger every day, Mom said that she is having a baby. Sam’s going to miss it if he doesn’t come soon. Are they – are they stuck somewhere? Why aren’t they home?”

Sarah wipes at the tears that trickle down the sides of her face, curling onto her side. “Okay, um...amen.”

.

A million miles away, on a planet far, far away, a man with golden eyes looks at his new king. “What are you going to do?”

Thor rubs a hand over his forehead, glancing at Heimdell. “I cannot let the young Sarah down. If you could find the Captain, I can go and retrieve him and his friends.” He thinks about his father and finds himself missing the old man more than ever at the moment.

If he could return another child’s father to her, then maybe that will be enough. Enough to find a start in moving on.

“Are you sure about that?” Loki asks. “You would have to leave our people.”

“In your hands,” Thor finishes. Loki’s mouth opens and shuts wordlessly and Thor lets out a laugh. “You are the crown prince of Asgard _and..._ our people did well when you pulled that idiotic stunt back there.”

 _“Stunt?”_ Loki repeats, outraged. At the twin dark glares from Brunhilde and Heimdell he falls silent. “All right, _yes_ it was a stunt. But –“

Thor holds up a hand to silence him. “And Brunhilde would be remaining here anyway.”

“To keep an eye on me?” Loki scowls. “Never mind, I do not want to stay if I am going to be kept after like a child by your future wife.”

“Kept after? I am not your mother, Loki,” Brunhilde growls dangerously, flicking the blade of one of the many knives she has on her person.

Loki eyes the knife a little nervously before turning back to his brother. “I want to go with you.”

Thor gapes in surprise. “Are you mad?”

Heimdell’s lips are twitching like he is holding back a laugh. “Maybe a little. And besides, what is it that your earth friend called it – I could earn some brownie points by helping you rescue the Captain.”

“How do I know I can trust you? That you won’t wreck havoc when we arrive on Midgard again?”

“He won’t.”

Loki stares, unable to believe that those words came from Brunhilde. “I must be having a fever dream, did you just say --?”  

Thor does the same amount of gaping. Brunhilde rolls her eyes. “He has too much to lose. He finally has it all back, the title of prince, power, and _your_ respect. He wouldn’t dare lose it again.”

“You seem so sure,” Loki replies smugly, trying to ignore the fact that his stomach is doing somersaults.

“You are easy to read, dear prince,” Brunhilde cocks her head to the side, eyes piercing and he squirms in his seat. “And besides, I wouldn’t vouch for you if I wasn’t sure.”

“I guess that settles it then.” Thor gets to his feet, turning to Heimdell. “Where is the Captain?”

“Amsterdam. He’s not in the best of sorts.”

“The best of sorts?” Loki repeats. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“They were ambushed in Budapest, and fled to Amsterdam where they have met up with the man they were searching for.”

“Sergeant Barnes,” Thor says softly.

“Proceed with great caution, Thor. There is a reason why they have not been able to return home and I do not think you will be able to be retrieve them easily.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Loki cuts in, smiling widely. “He will have me on his side.”

-;

It’s a Monday again.

She’s on the roof when the thunder crackles in the skies above her.  

Jane had come to the roof a lot of the last weeks, just looking for a sign of that jet that had disappeared into the fog what felt like ages ago.

She isn’t expecting the god of thunder or his brother to land instead. Jane jogs towards them, coming to a skidded halt a few paces away.

Thor looks different. Well, the missing eye is a noticeable difference, the socket covered by a golden patch. His hair is darker and cut short and Jane briefly wonders who managed to get him to do that because in the months they were together, she couldn’t even bring a pair of scissors near the man without him screaming.

“What the hell happened to you?”

Thor reaches for her hand. “Asgard has fallen.”

Jane’s heart stops beating. “Oh _Thor...”_

“The population has survived and we’ve taken refuge on a nearby planet. That is why you haven’t heard from me in a long while,” Thor explains.

“Why are you here?” Jane asks, yelling to be heard over the whip of the wind. “What’s happened?”

“He heard your Sarah’s prayers,” Loki hollers back. “We are going to go and retrieve the Captain and his friends.”

“Y-you are?”

Thor nods. “Can you please tell Darcy and the little lady Sarah? Let them know I will bring Steven back.”

Jane stops herself from hugging Thor, instead squeezing his hand. Her gaze flickers to Loki, who obviously catches the distrust in her eyes and returns a look of mock-outrage. “ _Please,_ I am only here to help. Why must I continue to defend myself?” he adds in a lower voice to Thor, who grimaces in annoyance.

“Shut up Loki.”

“All right, whatever. Just please, _please_ be careful,” Jane says, waving her hands. “ _Both_ of you.”

Loki lifts a brow in surprise and Thor nods. “We will.” He lifts his hands to the sky. “They are in Amsterdam. Something has been pursuing them and that is why there was no contact in the last months.”

Jane leans back on her heels. “Th-that makes sense.”

“We should go, brother,” Loki shouts over the roar of the wind. “Step back, Jane.”

“Until we return, Jane,” Thor yells.

She does as she’s told, moving to the other side of the tarmac as the lightening and the thunder moves into its dangerous dance. There’s a frighteningly loud crash and Thor and Loki disappear into the magnificent array of light and power. Jane has to sink to the tarmac and cover her head as the heat of the power slides right over her back.

Once Thor and Loki are gone, Jane looks to the sky again. The bolts of light are gone, and the wind has calmed back down. Passerby would take it as a momentary storm and think nothing of it. Life continues on and always does, no matter the cost.

She makes for the elevator. She must tell Darcy, Clint, and Sharon the good news.

She doesn’t quite make it to the elevator.

When the tower begins to crumble underneath her feet, Jane finds herself wishing she was a bird. That she could just spread her wings and fly away, to escape from everything that her life has become.

She loves her life, she loves the people within it. But sometimes... _sometimes..._

The tarmac goes and she falls backwards, her arms spreading out. Maybe she can fly if she tries hard enough. Maybemaybemaybe...

Jane sees the wondrous shine of blue and green come up. The colors circle around her, lifting her up and cradling her like a soft cocoon. Jane’s eyes begin to flutter and she brings her arms to her chest.

She could sleep. Everything is just so warm.

 _Sleep, Janey-girl,_ her aunt would say. _Sleep and tomorrow, get up and try again._

Everyone deserves a little rest.

Jane’s eyes fall closed and she lets herself be swept away in the hues of indigo and jade.

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy moly cannolis, what an ending, huh? Can anyone guess what just happened? 
> 
> Yes most of the events of Ragnarok happened but Thor did not get a personality change, lol. He's still the same loveable dork. 
> 
> I apologize for the shortness of the chapter. I kept trying to add in moments where we actually saw what was happening with Steve, Sam, and Nat but they didn't feel right. So we will see what happened next chapter. 
> 
> Thanks so much and leave reviews!


	22. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Apologies for the long-ass wait. Real life has been one big ball of stress and I ended up rewriting this chapter three times. I hope you enjoy the finished product.

.

.

Thunder wakes her early that morning.

Darcy looks out her window and watches as the occasional bolt of lightening slices across the sky. The air is warmer than usual, she notes as she closes her eyes and listens to the last crackle above her.

“Mom?”

Sarah’s standing behind her, blond curls sticking up all over her head. “Shorty, you don’t have to be up for an hour, what are you doing?”

Sarah shrugs. “I couldn’t sleep. Too hot in my room.”  

When Darcy closes the window, she notices that too. “Whoa, what the heck? Hey Friday, what’s with the AC?”

To her surprise, and slight alarm, the AI doesn’t answer. Thunder roars above again, and the whole tower practically trembles. “Go camp on the couch. How about playing hooky from school today?”

Sarah beamed in delight. “Okay!”

Her mother would have her head. Alice never, _ever_ let her play skip school, not even on the last days before graduation because, as Alice would put it, she never knew when she would learn something. But now, _now,_ Darcy didn’t really give two shits.

She heads into the kitchen to prepare some sort of breakfast. As the coffee brews, Darcy fills up a glass with ice and pours the coffee over it once it’s done. “Hey Friday, the air conditioner? Friday?”

The light has completely disappeared from outside, filling the room with shadows. Sarah reaches up and flips on one of the lamps beside the couch and it begins to flicker. Darcy takes a sip from her coffee, walking over to inspect the bulb, remembering that she had replaced it just the day before yesterday.

As soon as her fingers touch the side of the lamp, a horrible high pitched beeping sound, like the scream of the flatline of a heart monitor fills the room. It’s so high, so horrible that Sarah grabs up a pillow and wraps it around the back of her head to cover her ears. “Mom, make it stop!”

 _“Friday!”_ Darcy slaps her hands over her ears, noticing that the heat in the room is getting even worse.

Sarah gets up from the couch, her little face absolutely beet red and sweat pouring from her forehead. “Mom -!”

The beeping heightens, almost so high that Darcy’s sure she’s going to lose her hearing.

And then, something else happens.

Darcy drops her coffee and charges at her frightened daughter, wrapping her arms and legs around the little girl and pulling her tightly to her chest as the room explodes.

-;

“Are we there? This doesn’t look like Midgard.”

Thor shakes his head, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. “No it does not.” The bridge had carried them easily and they had landed moments ago in what seemed like a blackened void in the middle of nothing. He felt like he was underwater, there was nothing around, and he could hear nothing. Not even his own heartbeat.

“Isn’t Midgard filled with squalling humans? I’m confused.”

“ _Loki –“_ Thor doesn’t get a chance to finish telling his brother off when he feels a crack on the back of his head that makes tiny bursts of light dance in front of his eyes. Loki growls and there’s a snapping sound, followed by a cry of pain. “Wait – _wait!”_

Steve’s on his back, bleeding from his lip when Thor’s vision clears. Loki flicks his fingers and light suddenly bursts into the air. Thor makes out the forms of Natasha, Sam, and another fellow he doesn’t recognize. He quickly leans down and pulls Steve to his feet, gently clapping him on the shoulder.

“What – what has happened?” Steve manages to whisper, wiping the blood from his face.

Loki eyeballs the fourth occupant of this darkened haven, the bouncing lights picking up the slickened silver of his arm. The digits tighten into a fist and Loki shifts his gaze over to the Widow and the man with wings. Both of them look like they have seen better days and Loki wonders briefly what actually occurred here.

“We’ve come to take you home. I heard your Sarah’s prayers,” Thor whispers to Steve.

Steve’s brows go up and he sways a bit on his feet. “Sarah? She’s all right?”

“As far as I know,” Thor replies, gently gripping his shoulder. “Let us get you out of here.”

“You can’t,” Natasha suddenly says. “We’ve been trapped here since arrival, we’re in some sort of a vessel controlled by the reality stone. You can enter but you cannot leave.”

Thor exchanges a glance with Loki. “Actually you can,” He nods at Loki, who lifts his hands up to cover the six of them with some sort of translucent bubble. Thor raises his hammer, and Steve is grabbed up by Sam and Natasha, held steady as energy and power crackles around them.

And then, there’s a blink of an eye and it’s over.

-;

Sarah’s screams wakes her.

Darcy wrenches her eyes open and at first, she cannot see a thing.

And then she can.

Sarah’s golden hair is plastered all over Darcy’s face. She peels it off, blinking several times as Sarah weeps into her chest. “Baby, it’s okay. It’s okay.” _No, it’s fucking not_.

She lifts her head and sees... _colors._ Blues and greens and silvers. So many gorgeous colors that Steve would be drooling over and trying to copy. The colors dance and sing around them, covering them, _protecting them._

“ _Darcy!”_

Darcy glances down at Sarah and sees not a mark on her. “Are you all right? Answer me Sarah!”

“Yes!” Her daughter shrieks back, staring up at the swirling colors that she had just been gaping at.

There’s a loud rumble and another beam begins to give way, a few bits of rubble raining down on top of them but not making contact. Darcy rolls slightly onto her back, one arm still wrapped around Sarah’s shoulders. Her shield glitters and rolls around them and it suddenly occurs to her that that is the reason why she and her child are freaking alive right now.

_“Darcy!”_

The blues and greens are joined by scarlet and gold. Darcy almost cries in relief at the sight of her brother, covered by his suit and...another shield.

Had she – _no._ It wasn’t possible. Right?

“Are you all right?!” Tony demands.

Darcy keeps one hand on Sarah’s arm as they bug crawl towards him. “What the _hell_ happened?”

Tony shakes his head, his voice thundering through the speaker. “I have no clue.” He gently takes Sarah from Darcy, pulling the small girl tightly against him. “Hold on tight.”

“Wait!” Darcy looks around, the thickness of her shield not letting her see too much of what had actually happened. “Where’s Jane? _Where’s Jane?”_

“Rhodey’s got her!” Tony bellows back. Another crack echoes above their heads. “Rhodey’s got her, she’s on the quinjet.”

The roar of the blood in Darcy’s ears subsides only a small bit. She lets her brother wrap a thickly armored arm around her waist and she rests a hand on the back of her daughter’s head. “Close your eyes.”

Sarah obeys and Darcy’s stomach falls out a moment later because they are flying.

When she opens her eyes, they are hovering in mid air above the slowly crumbling tower. The quinjet inches across the wide open space and Darcy sees Jane practically hanging off the side, a heavily pregnant Sharon and Wanda trying to pull her back. Vision is floating in the air above the building and it’s obvious the only thing that is keeping him from going back inside is Wanda. Darcy looks back down at the tower and sees the colors again, the blues and the greens shining like a beacon in the air.

Jane looks relatively unscathed and Sharon and Wanda do too. Tony deposits them both onto the ramp and quickly turns, blasting off to go back inside. Darcy feels a headache burning and Sharon’s staring at her worriedly. “ _What?”_

“Your nose!”

Darcy brushes a hand underneath her nose and it comes away streaked with crimson blood. _Shit_.

There’s another growl from outside and Rhodey appears, carefully dropping Pietro off onto the ramp. “Who else is still inside?!” Jane hollers to be heard over the roar of the engines.

“Barton, Banner, and –“

_“RAWR!”_

Sarah squeals, nearly falling backward onto her butt as a fully Hulked out Bruce flies up into the air, right from the gathering rubble of the building. The quinjet shudders when he lands on top, dipping slightly in mid air.

“ _Banner!”_ Rhodey shouts and he’s gone, disappearing out the mouth of the plane.

Darcy carefully passes Sarah off to Sharon, looking back down at what is left of the place that she had called home for nearly a year. The shield – _her shield_ – is still standing strong and as she looks around at her friends, each of them not bearing a sign of an injury. She feels her headache beginning to burn even more and she wonders if –

There’s a blast of sound, and there’s a third suit coming out of the dust – this one embossed in violet and snowy white. _Rescue._

Her eyes close and she concentrates hard.

_“Darcy, what are you doing?!”_

She feels arms wrap around her waist, pulling her back from the edge of the ramp. There’s a cry, someone else is yelling her name and she feels the pulse of the blast reactors from Pepper’s suit as she lands on the plane, an angry and growling Clint in tow.

Darcy keeps her eyes clenched shut as she focuses. She can feel her strength beginning to fade and more blood dribbles from her nose. Jane’s shouting in her ear, telling – no _begging_ her to stop or she will die.

“ _Darcy, everyone else is out! They’re okay!”_

Darcy faints.

.

When she wakes up, Sarah’s curled beside her. Darcy lifts a hand and rests it on top of her daughter’s curls. Sarah lifts her head, eyes lighting up. “Oh _Mommy.”_

“I’m okay,” Darcy whispers. “I’m okay.”

They’re still in flight.

Darcy lifts her head, glancing around at everyone else. “Okay, how bad was it?”

Jane looks like she doesn’t know whether she wants to start shouting at Darcy or burst into tears.

“You were bleeding profusely from the nose,” Bruce explained quietly. Darcy startled at the sight of him, pink and very much human, glasses perched crookedly on the end of his nose. “Don’t do that again.”

“If I hadn’t –“

“Darcy, your shield almost killed you,” Pepper told her.

“But it saved all of you!” she retorts and Tony winces. “I just wish I knew _how_ I did it.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Sharon slumps against Clint’s shoulder, both hands resting on her swollen stomach. “Where are we going?”

“My brother’s farm,” Clint answers. Darcy’s eyes glimpse the purple hearing aids resting in his ears. “We’ll be safe there for a while.”

Darcy eased her head back, one hand still resting around Sarah’s shoulders. “What happened back there?”

Jane flinches and Pietro makes a small noise. “We don’t know.”

Before she can find the energy to question anything else, the plane takes a sudden nose dive. Darcy yanks Sarah against her as everyone else tries to not fall to the floor.

_“Boss, we’re here.”_

The plane jostles and jumps again, a little too abruptly before coming to a full stop. The hatch slowly opens, and Darcy hears the song of birds, blinking hard at the deep rays of sunshine that try to blind her.

There’s a house in the distance, light blue with white trim. As they walk off of the plane and onto the grass, the screen door opens and a man that looks quite a bit like Clint comes through, rolling his wheelchair out onto the porch. Clint’s exhausted face melts into a warm smile, even when his brother starts spitting out curse words that Darcy had never even heard before. Barney stops his tirade to suck in a breath and sighs, turning his chair back around and rolling back inside.

They barely get in the door when Darcy hears a high pitched yell and Clint is suddenly tackled into a bear hug by a woman in a dark purple leather jacket. “ _Clint fucking Barton, goddamn –_ oh, you have company.”

Barney heaves a great sigh from his chair. “Clint, what the hell happened?”

“A lot,” Clint turns back to the bedraggled group. “Do you mind, Barn?”

The elder Barton shakes his head. “What choice do I have? Some of ya’ll are gonna have to sleep on the floor though.”

“That’s more than generous –“ Pepper begins.

And then a cloud of darkness erupts outside, covering all of them in black. Sarah darts out of Tony’s grip and pushes aside the curtain of the nearest window. She lets out a gasp and turns to Darcy, the largest smile on her face.

“ _It’s Dad.”_

-;

In the last seven years, Darcy could count on one hand the number of times she had seen Sarah cry. With all the tumbles her child would take, Darcy expected something but Sarah remained stiff lipped every time. But now, her girl was full on sobbing as she runs down the rickety steps. Darcy can barely make out the six figures in the distance, one darting ahead as Sarah keeps running forward to greet them. Her vision blurs as that person falls to his knees and Sarah throws herself into his waiting arms.

As Darcy gets closer, her knees start knocking together. The silhouettes become people and she makes out faces. Sarah’s clinging to her father as Darcy walks up, feeling like she is in the middle of some wonderful dream that she never wants to wake up from.

Steve gently peels Sarah off of him, resting both hands on each side of her face, his thumbs wiping at her tears. Darcy notices his hair is quite a bit longer and he’s acquired a thick fuzziness all over his face that later she will tease him about when she’s not in danger of falling to pieces at his feet.

Steve’s eyes widen when he glimpses her, lips moving wordlessly and oh how she longs to hear what he is truly trying to say. As she gets closer, she feels heavy footsteps and Clint is suddenly passing her and she expects Sharon isn’t too far behind.

“ _Hi,”_ is the first word she manages to get out. Steve’s mouth turns up in a smile and she’s nearly knocked over as he pulls her into his arms, Sarah sandwiched between them. She holds on just as tight, ignoring the pain because god, if she lets either of them go they will most certainly disappear into dust right there.

“Your hair’s longer,” Steve whispers against her forehead.

She reaches up a shaking hand to brush her fingertips against his chin. “So’s yours.”

Steve chuckles, the rumble coming from deep in his chest. He says something else she cannot hear, the way his fingers kneading on the back of her neck making her feel a little bit more weak at the knees. Sliding her arm around his waist, they begin to walk towards the house together, passing a tangled Sharon and Sam as they go.

Jane stands beside Tony on the porch as they approach. Sarah lightly jumps down from Steve’s arm and darts into the house. Steve turns to Jane and she gives him a smile as he gently grasps the side of her head and presses a kiss to her temple. “Glad you’re okay,” she murmurs, returning the half-hug.

“You too,” Steve whispers, quickly putting his arm back around Darcy. He casts his gaze out to the many acres of land that surround the tiny house. “What happened?”

Darcy rests a hand on his chest. “A very long story. We just got here about twenty minutes ago. And you?”

The corner of his mouth turns up in a weak attempt at a smile. “An even longer story.”

He’s taken from her then, Tony and Pepper and Rhodey and the others coming forward and surrounding him but his eyes remain glued to her as he answers their questions. Sarah looks up at Darcy, pulling on her hand. “He’s okay?”

Darcy nods, looking out to the lawn where Thor and Loki still stand along with someone that she doesn’t recognize at first. Sarah does though. “Is that the man Dad was looking for?” Sarah asks.

“I think so. You stay here, okay?”

Darcy doesn’t wait for an answer, jogging down the steps, taking two at a time. Jane’s footsteps are right behind her. The two women move together towards the brothers and when they get a little closer, Darcy breaks into a run. Her father’s voice plays in her head like an audio recording. When she was thirteen years old, she had stopped a big kid from stealing one of her smaller classmate’s bookbag but had ended up with her hand in cast after snapping two of her fingers in the fight. Charlie Lewis had given her instructions on how to throw a proper punch once her mother had stopped yelling at her ‘using her fists instead of her words’.

_“Kiddo, you have to keep your chin down so the punch comes out straight and your shoulder will rise automatically. Remember to keep your thumb on the outside of your fist, that’s how you ended up with this cast.”_

Her fist flies quicker than she has to think and Bucky Barnes’ head is jarring back, blood dripping from his nose. There’s someone shouting her name and she feels strong arms wrapping around her shoulders, pulling her back but she doesn’t give up the fight, struggling hard against whoever is holding her. Barnes wipes the blood from his face, staring at her in shock as she still wriggles in Thor’s mighty hold. “Where the _fuck_ where you, Barnes?! Where were you for four damn months?!”

Her foot flies out and kicks Thor _hard_ in the knee, enough to startle him into loosening his grip. Darcy pulls free, overcome by a white hot rage that she cannot control, and she makes for the startled man again but this time, she’s thrown back by an invisible force that feels quite like her own. Falling into the grass, right on her ass she throws a furious glare at the innocent looking Loki.  

“Darcy stop!” Jane yells.

“No! Because of his game of hide and seek Steve, Natasha, and Sam could have been dead for all we knew!” Darcy shouts back, her lips curled in a snarl as she climbs to her feet. She feels almost _feral_ in that moment _._

Bucky’s staring at her in shock, still holding his bleeding nose. “It wasn’t like that,” he says quietly.

Thor grabs Darcy’s arms again, keeping her from practically leaping on the other man. She feels soft hands touching her shoulder and looks up to see Steve. “Darcy, please don’t.”

Thor’s grip fades, replaced by Steve’s and she practically sags against him, her anger fading almost immediately. He tugs on her hand and she lets him lead her to the house. Someone’s giving orders to follow and it sounds like Rhodey.

Steve directs her into a chair once they are inside. Natasha is already seated on the couch beside Kate, the younger woman holding the redhead’s hand tightly in both of her own. Everyone else settles in spots around the room, Barney’s squeaky chair rolling over to where Clint stands by door once it shuts with a resounding thud. Loki and Thor look so out of place in this tiny room, both tall and majestic in their robes of emerald and scarlet.

Darcy spies Bucky in the corner, trying to look small and inconspicuous and she would be making fun of him if this was any other time, any other place.

Steve perches on the edge of the coffee table, and she waits, her heart hammering in her chest.

“We touched down in Budapest...”

-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, I know some of you are raising your eyebrows at Darcy decking Bucky when she doesn't even know him but please, just wait and let me keep telling the story. 
> 
> I am so sorry for the long ass wait. Bless you all for being so patient!


	23. 142 Days Earlier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: I suck, I know. Real life's a bitch. Anyways, enjoy!

.

.

**142 days earlier**

.

Steve knew as soon as they entered the apartment, it would be empty.

Judging by the look on Sam’s face before they separated, he knew it too. He enters through the front door anyway, shield at the ready as he scopes out the area. The apartment is only one room with a tiny kitchenette off to the right corner. The sheets on the bed are unkempt but not unwashed. Steve picks up the faint smell of detergent as he walks by the bed and nearly trips over a discarded pillow on the floor. 

_“He’s gone, Cap.”_

Steve nodded at nothing in particular. Natasha’s presence beside him is calming and with a glance he can tell she’s thinking the same thing he is. “You know him too,” Steve mutters. “What would be his next course of action?”

“Back to the source,” Natasha replies. She reaches over and plucks the pillow off of the floor. “He was with Hydra again after you freed him. Why would he be there of all places?”

 _“She’s not wrong,”_ Sam says in Steve’s ear. “ _Follow his steps.”_

And so they do.

.

**131 days earlier.**

.

 _“Did you get the footage?”_ Darcy’s voice is sweet in his ears and he clings to every word. They had been separated for only ten days but that was ten days too long to Steve. He hated this mission. He hated every single minute of it and he wanted to go home.

“I did.” Steve looks down at his phone, at the grainy video clip of Bucky. His old friend didn’t look quite real, he reminded Steve of…a ghost.

“ _He’s sixty miles east of you and will be moving soon. You don’t have long.”_

Steve sighed, his fingers pressing to the com device in his ear. “I know.” He hesitates for a moment and then it’s like Darcy reads his mind.

_“She’s fine. She misses you.”_

_Only ten days,_ he tells himself. They can end this within another ten and be home before the month is out.

Sam’s been staring at the lone picture of Sharon he keeps in his phone. She had recently sent him a tiny clip of something that had caused his friend to nearly cry and retreat to the back of the jet. When Steve turned questioning eyes on Natasha, she regarded him with a sad smile. “Sonogram.”

In that moment, Steve hated Bucky.

He knew he shouldn’t. None of this was technically his old friend’s fault but in his anger and his sadness, he found no one else to blame and that was so incredibly wrong.

_“…she got A's on her last four spelling tests. And her art teacher called me personally to rave over her work. Our girl’s got your talent. I can barely draw stick figures.”_

Steve snorts at Darcy’s words. “You’re better than you think.”

“ _Maybe Sarah can give me lessons,”_ Darcy muses. “ _She’ll want to smack my hands with a ruler ten minutes in. Nah, I’m better with stories. Imagine us in our eighties with our great grandchildren all gathered at my knee, begging for me to recount my adventures.”_

 _Grandchildren…_ The thought had never really occurred to Steve that that could be a possibility, especially now. He never pictured having a child, not now, and not back then in his life before the first war. Then he was too sick to even consider finding someone and having a family with them, and now his life was one battle after another. That year in Maine…that had been the closest to human he had felt.

_“Steve, you have unfriendlies.”_

Jarred from his thoughts, Steve looked around the still empty room. Darcy’s voice thickened in fear.  _“They’re coming right –“_

_Now._

The room explodes with fire and smoke.

.

**111 days earlier**

.

Amsterdam was colder than usual this time of year.

Natasha shivered where she stood, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders. She jumped slightly when Steve shrugged off his own and gently wrapped it around her. “You don’t have to do that –“

“I know,” he answered simply. Natasha didn’t say anything after that.

They were not in their uniforms today. They did not go weaponless of course and Steve had the shield hidden in the backpack he carried.

Bucky was thirteen feet away, his back to them as he walked slowly along the carts of produce, examining items within. He lifts out a couple of plums and pays for them, the owner of the cart placing the fruit into a plastic bag and handing it back. Bucky thanks the man and continues to move carefully down the line of carts, his back suddenly taunt with tension.

He knows they’re there.

“I’ll go,” Sam says.

Steve and Natasha move back far enough that Steve’s ears have to strain to hear their conversation. To his surprise, Bucky doesn’t flee when he sees Sam, and he gathers that it was a better than idea than him or Natasha.

“He’s got him.”

Steve darts his gaze back over and he sees Sam gently leading Bucky towards them, his hand underneath Bucky’s jacket. “You know this is kidnapping, right?” Bucky mutters.

“Shut up,” Sam hisses. “His apartment’s two blocks from here.”

Natasha falls into step on the other side of Bucky and Steve follows. “Look casual.”

“Too late.”

The walk back to the apartment is brief. Sam releases his hold on the small device once they enter and Steve shuts the door behind him. Bucky falls onto the ancient looking couch with a groan, glaring up at Sam with menace in his eyes. “How long until this juice wears off?”

“A few minutes,” Natasha walks over to the edge of the couch, arms folded in front of her. “Sorry James, we couldn’t risk you taking off again.”

Bucky looks back and forth between the three of them. “You have me. What do you want?”

Sam rolls his eyes in annoyance. “This guy’s really something.”

“Buck, what the hell happened?” Steve suddenly bursts out. Sam and Natasha each take a tiny step back. “Why were you with HYDRA again?”

“Would you rather I had not been?” Bucky retorts, almost calmly and Steve feels a hot slice of rage. “You stupid punk, always getting yourself in trouble. You’re damn lucky I was there.”

“On  _their_ side?” Steve shoots back.

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Of course not!”

“Then what?”

Bucky shifts on the couch. Natasha perches on the arm of the sofa, giving the smallest of nods to Steve and Sam. Sam moves towards the door but doesn’t relax, his body still taut with tension. Steve sits down on the rickety folding chair across from the couch and waits.

“After I yanked you from the river, my head was so screwed up I didn’t know which way to turn. I checked out that memorial at the Smithsonian, trying to get some sort of an idea but all I could get out of that was a bunch of bullshit. ‘Heroic Howling Commando’? Pfft,” Bucky scoffs. “Come  _on._ It was obvious they had pulled that from a history book.”

Steve could relate to that line of thinking.

“I wound up in upstate New York and ran into this bald guy in a wheelchair. He said he ‘sensed my inner turmoil’.”

“Bald guy in a wheelchair?” Sam repeated, glancing sideways at Steve.

“He was a mutant. A very powerful one I quickly figured out. I wasn’t too keen on letting anyone else poke around in my head but –“ Bucky hesitates for a moment, glancing down and biting his lip. “He found a whole mess of shit in there and slowly pulled it out. It almost killed him.”

“What happened after that?”

“Then I remembered. I remembered everything.” He smiles then, first at Steve and then at Natasha. “Having it all come back, all at once, might have been even worse than not having any of it. The bald guy, uh, Xavier – that’s what he said his name was – did something else so I wouldn’t throw my ass off the next skyscraper and then let me go. I must have been some after school science project or something. I dunno.”

Sam snorts. “Or something.”

“I thanked him and I left. I knew after that, I knew what I needed to do.”

“You went back in.”

“After I heard Pierce was dead, I knew it was safe to do so. Ross had already taken over what was left and I thought, why the hell not? When you cut off one head –“

“Another takes its place,” Steve finishes.

Bucky nods. “But when you cut out the heart, all the heads die. And that’s what I tried to do but it was too late. They were already helping him.”

“Who?”

“Thanos.”

Steve swallowed hard. “Why?”

“Ross is greedy. He wants it all and he thinks Thanos will give him that once he produces all of the gems for his gauntlet. That’s not going to happen. Thanos will reduce them all to dust. He will reduce all of us to dust.”

“So that’s what that was back in Jersey,” Sam says.

Bucky nods. “Yeah. Thanos popped them –  _us –_ through that portal and we were all ‘enhanced’. Not just me. Faster, stronger, more resilient and a bunch of other things that I don’t care to think about.”

“Is that how it’s going to be?” Natasha asks. “When we encounter them again and again?”

They had barely escaped out of Budapest with their lives and now, now it would be a continuing fight from here.

Bucky nods numbly, breath whooshing from his lips with a silent sigh. “They wanted your robot friend that day. They will find you again to get that fucking rock out of his head.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Steve angrily snaps.

Bucky shrugs his shoulders, almost uncaring. “It will.” Natasha mutters something in Russian. “I’m sorry, Natalia. I wish I were.”

Steve doesn’t bother asking what they were saying. “Come on.” He nods at Sam. “Let’s go. There’s nothing more for us here.” He moves towards the door, Bucky’s voice calling him back.

“I know where a stone is.”

.

**110 days earlier**

.

“Which one is the red stone?”

“Reality,” Natasha says, not looking up from the console. “It’s the one that Jane absorbed.”

Sam snaps his fingers in recollection. “Oh yeah.”

“I don’t understand, Jane mentioned that the Collector had the stone.”

“Not anymore,” Bucky says gravely. “I managed to get to get a message to Tivan to toss the damn thing into an ocean but he told me he wouldn’t do that. It’s here.”

Ten miles south of where they were the day before. Bucky had been watching the hiding place of the stone for any activity of HYDRA or Thanos and so far, none. The rest of the stones had extensive hiding places, some in space, some on Earth but to Steve’s great surprise, Bucky had hidden the Reality stone in what seemed like a rubbish bin outside an old abandoned home.

Natasha lands the plane with ease and keeps the invisibility cloaked around it. They assemble off one by one and look around the property line. A few other houses litter the fields, all abandoned. Steve understands Bucky’s thinking of leaving the stone here, a place that is so random and practically boring that it can be easily overlooked, even by the best.

As they walk towards the house, each at a different pace, midnight black, tinged with a bit of bloody red, begins to color the sky. Steve recognized it, from Jane’s stories and he’s pretty sure Sarah has the color in her paint set.

She never uses it though.

_“It’s not pretty. Reminds me of sadness.”_

The black dips from the sky and crawls around them. Bucky moves backwards and quickly grabs Sam’s arm, motioning to him and Natasha. They crawl together, arms covering each other’s heads as the first blast shines around them. Steve lifts his shield from his back, holding it above the four of them like an umbrella to ward off the worst of the hit.

When the cry of the power eases, Steve wrenches open his eyes and for a moment, he’s sure he’s dead.

Jane had talked about this too.

.

.

**NOW**

.

Darcy gets up from her seat and Barney Barton easily reads her face, pointing towards a door at the end of the hallway. Thankfully, it’s a bathroom and as soon as she staggers through, she upchucks what little is in her stomach into the sink. She dry heaves for several minutes, nothing left to bring up.

After rinsing her mouth out with water and splashing some on her face, she brushes her fingers through her hair, doing her best to secure it into a braid down the back of her neck. Her hair had gotten quite long since first coming to New York, now nearly reaching the middle of her spine. It’s filled with ratty knots and she’s pretty sure it will take a week’s worth of brushing and detangler to make it feel somewhat good again.

She misses her mom so much right now.

When she pushes open the bathroom door, she accidentally hits someone in the back. “Standing guard while I peed?”

Steve shakes his head. “Wanted to see if you were okay.”

Darcy shrugged her shoulders. “We’ve both had a shitty day.”

“Darce –“

“What do you want me to say, Steve? You were hold hostage in a vessel made by that thing that tried to eat Jane up all those years ago and I just had my home blown to bits. We’ve had a shitty day.”

Steve winces at her tone. Darcy doesn’t have a chance to protest before he pulls her against his chest, both arms wrapped tightly around her. She tries to say something but her voice comes out in a muffled squeak and gosh does it feel nice to be held by him again.

“I’m sorry I hit Bucky,” she says once he turns her loose.

Steve chuckles. “No matter. You have an impressive right hook.”

Darcy laughs, the sound coming out obviously fake. “Something my dad taught me. Must run in the family.”

-;

Bucky was thirsty.

He finds the kitchen easily and wanders around, heading for a refrigerator that looks like it came from his first life. There’s a large bottle of ice cold milk inside and he pulls it out, shutting the door to reveal one short blond child standing right behind it.

He jumps slightly. “Jesus kid, wear a bell.” Sarah follows him to the table and sits down across from him, fixing him with a stare that is so Steve like he starts to squirm. “Can I help you?”

Sarah shakes her head. “No.” Then the little shit steals his milk.

Oh yeah she is  _so_ Steve’s kid.

Bucky had been blown away when they touched down and this tiny blond creature had come flying out of the house, throwing herself into Steve’s arms and not letting go until a brunette dame pried her away. And then the dame punched him in the face. Bucky almost laughs then, he’s not surprised. Steve always liked the girls that could kill an asshole with just their pinky finger.

Sarah –  _was that Steve’s idea or her mother’s to name her that_  – fixes him with a stare that reminds him of another Sarah Rogers from another lifetime. He always withered under that stare.

“So…”

“So…” Sarah repeats. “You’re the guy that saved my dad a few months ago.”

Shit, had she seen that? “Something like that. Your dad’s always getting his ass in trouble though.”

Sarah doesn’t seem perturbed by his cussing. “Mom says I get that from him. Dad says I get that from her.”

“So a big old double dose of trouble, huh?”

Sarah nods, smiling. “Something like that.” The kid seems almost proud of herself. Yeah this is Stevie’s spawn. She regards him for a moment. “What was my dad like?”

Bucky chokes on his milk. After coughing for a moment, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, Sarah waiting patiently for an answer. “Well, he was…again, always getting his ass into trouble. Never knew when to stay out of a fight. He stuck up for the little guy except  _he_ was the little guy.”

Sarah nods knowingly. “I’ve read a lot about him. I know what happened.”

Bucky doesn’t doubt it. “Not much has changed from what I can tell. He still sticks up for the little guy and he’s still got a very big heart.” He smiles down at Sarah. “He must have been over the moon when you came along.”

“He wasn’t there when I was a baby,” Sarah takes a sip of the milk. Bucky raises a brow. “He was trying to protect me and Mom so he left before I was born. I didn’t meet him until last year.”

Bucky raises a brow in surprise. “Oh.”

“Mom found him when she learned from Gran that she had a rich brother that was a superhero. When she came to New York to meet him, Dad was there and that’s how we got together again.”

“Who’s your uncle?” Bucky asks.

The answer is not what he expects. “Oh! Iron Man! I mean, uncle Tony. Stark. Duh,” She slaps her own hand against her forehead. “Sorry, I forget sometimes.”

The conversations have picked up out in the living room and Bucky can hear Barney Barton barking orders of who is going to sleep where. The other man’s voice suddenly sinks into a buzzing sound and then, that is all he can hear. He briefly wonders if it’s possible to have  heart attack or a small stroke with this serum, the quality being shitty enough he wouldn’t be surprised.

Steve appears in the doorway. “Sarah, your mother’s looking for you.”

Sarah hops off the chair and grabs Steve’s hand, yanking him down so she can plant a kiss on his cheek. Steve smiles, watching her go before turning back to Bucky. “So you two have met –“

“Who’s her mother, Steve?” Steve looks at him like he had just said the sky was pink. “Who’s her mother?”

Steve winces, licking his lips before answering, “Darcy.”

“The woman that tried to knock my lights out?” Steve snorts, nodding. “She’s Stark’s…sister?”

“Half sister,” Steve corrects him.

Bucky swallows hard, glancing towards the living room before bringing his gaze to Steve’s confused one. “Outside. I need to tell you something.”

-;

Steve feels like he’s going to throw up.

In fact – “Jesus, Rogers.” Bucky steps out of the way as Steve leans over the fence and dry heaves into the grass. Bucky rests a hand on the small of his back, like he did all those years ago when he would curl up and gasp for air whenever he felt a rattle of death in his chest. “You all right?”

“Y-you’re asking me?” Steve wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Fuck, I wasn’t planning on telling anyone ever.” Bucky runs a hand through his ratty hair, squinting up at late afternoon sun. “It’s not somethin’ you just bring up in conversation. When I saw your kid, and that dame, I knew I had to come clean.”

Steve bites down hard on his bottom lip. “Buck, I don’t –“

“I know.” His old friend gives him a sad smile. “Listen, I will give all of you whatever information and help you need but I can’t be here. Your kid…she looks a little bit like Howard.” He gestures to his face, a distant look in his eyes. “She’s got his chin.”

Steve nods. “Yeah.”  He had noticed that in the first days too.

“I – just –“ His old friend seems at a loss for words, running a shaking hand over his mouth. “ _Shit,_ Steve.”

Steve glances up at him, arm resting on the edge of the fence. Bucky’s eyes are focused on the house and suddenly, he is more terrified now than he had been in his whole too long of a life. He doesn’t want to turn, he doesn’t want to move and see who is standing there. He cannot, he will not –

“Darcy.”

**.**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy.
> 
> I will do my best to not make you guys wait for another two months. I do want to get this done before the next movie drops lol. And I am working on the outlines for my next two Shieldshock fics. Something along the lines of a Little Women AU and maybe a little Anastasia AU too? Maybe?


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